Assassin Academy
by Zizzimz
Summary: James loves the AC series, but will he love it so much after being recruited into the real Brotherhood? The story of how an Assassin is trained in these modern days. Complete OC and AU, references to games and other pop culture icons.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is chapter 1, FINALLY REVISED!**

"So anyway," I said to my friends as I walked along the road to the colourful lights of the carnival, "Will had this massive gash up the side of his leg. Said it was from saving a chick from a mugging."

Matt shook his head in amusement. "He's so full of shit, probably stacked his board. Again."

Matt was my best mate. He was 6 foot 3, pale as an albino polar bear, and was almost always accompanied by his girlfriend, Brittany. Brittany was about 5 foot 7, with black hair down past her shoulders. She was gorgeous, but seeing as she was dating Matt, I would never admit it. We reached the edge of the fair ground, and paid our way in.

"Thanks again for inviting us, James" Brittany said to me, despite the fact that I hadn't invited them. I had run into them on the way to the carnival, and decided to give them some company. But if she wanted to make me out to be some kind of considerate, great friend, I wasn't going to argue.

The three of us strolled down the middle street of the fair, having a look at all the booths and little shops that lined the sides. It took all of my strength to drag Matt away from the hand-crafted musical instruments he saw at the end of the path, while it only took a fraction of his strength to lift Brittany and pull her away from the antiques stall opposite.

We headed down to the big field in the middle of the grounds as it was starting to get dark, to get a good spot for the fireworks that were about to go off. Matt and Brittany both sat down on the ground, curled as far into each other's arms as was publically acceptable. I decided to leave them to their privacy for a few minutes, maybe find them again after the fireworks had finished. I wandered through the crowd, catching glimpses of other people I knew, from school, work, even random people I had spoken to on the street.

As I walked through the crowd, fighting the current of people that were trying to get through to the fireworks spot, I noticed that there was someone standing at the gap between two pavilions.

_Almost looks like a guard,_ I thought. As I walked past, I looked behind him, and saw, in the dim light, what looked like a scene from a movie. There was a girl, pinned against the left pavilion by a semi-circle of four guys. The one I could see side on looked like he had a knife. The guard cleared his throat. I shifted my view to him, and saw him advancing.

_Well, time to see if that "Learn Karate in 30 minutes" video was worth the money._

The guard, who was a good head taller than me, threw his fist at me, obviously trying to end this in one move. I ducked under his flying hand, and brought my own fist up into his throat. He fell to his knees, hands flying to his throat in instinct. I pulled back my fist and punched him in the base of his skull, and he collapsed to the ground with a shudder. I turned to the alley, and saw another person flying towards me, arms outstretched. As they approached, I put my hands out, ready to grab onto his shoulders. As soon as my hands made contact, I flung myself to the left, without removing too much of his momentum. He kept going and the other three guys from the alley all ran toward me. Only one of them had a knife. At that moment, the air exploded. They all shielded their eyes allowing me to punch the knife wielder in the stomach, take his knife and slam the handle into his head before the others had recovered. That changed though. As the first one went down, someone grabbed me from behind and lifted me into the air.

_The tackler,_ I thought.

Doing my best to determine how far off the ground he had lifted me, I threw my head back, and felt it slam into something soft and pointy. There was a CRUNCH as his nose broke. He released me, and I fell to the ground, staggering slightly. Next thing I knew, a fist was colliding with the side of my head, and there were more bright lights, which I hoped were fireworks. I continued with the momentum, and rolled out of harm's way as the next fist narrowly missed me, flying to where I would have been if I had stopped. I rolled onto the ground and quickly got up as the fireworks finale went off. I had my back to the field, so I didn't see it, but what I did see was the effect it had on my attackers. It blinded them for a moment, and I hoped that was all I needed. I ran forward, my fist flying beside me. It slammed into the throat of the biggest guy, sending his stumbling backwards. I grabbed his shirt and used his momentum to throw him into the two guys standing beside him. That left just the tackler. His ham of a fist flew straight at my face, but I dropped to my knees and brought the handle of the knife up into his jaw, causing his head to snap back. I then punched him in the side of the head and he crumpled like the rest. I panted, looking at the groaning forms around me. I looked at the knife in my hand with disgust, and tossed it into the bushes.

The girl they had assaulted in the alley slowly walked out of the alley, nervously eyeing the bodies on the ground.

"They won't be getting back up for a while," I told her, walking over and putting my hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?"

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "They came up to me earlier today, and asked if I wanted to come back to one of their houses for a party. I said no, and they looked like they were about to attack me. They probably would have, if there wasn't police coming down the street to set up for this carnival. They left at that point, and I didn't see them again until they cornered me in that alley. The big one, him," she motioned to the one who had tackled me, "threw me against the wall and started to get his cock out. That's when you showed up."

I pulled her into a loose hug, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. After a moment I let her go.

"What's your name?" I asked her, stooping slightly to look her in the eye.

"Chloe," she replied.

There was silence for a few moments, and then we heard the crowd returning.

"We should go," I said, looking down towards the field. Chloe grabbed my head and led me away.

"Would you mind walking me home?" she asked me as we reached the gate at the edge of the grounds.

"I was about to suggest the same thing," I said, gesturing toward the open gate. She started walking, but turned around, just to make sure that I was following. We walked together for several blocks.

"I just realised," Chloe started, causing me to stop and look at her. "I never asked you your name."

"It's James," I replied, "So, how far are we from your house?"

"It's just around the corner," she told me, blushing slightly in the soft light of the street lamp.

We walked around the corner side by side. She put her hand on my shoulder, stopping me from walking any further.

"I never thanked you for saving me," she said, leaning in close to my face, eyes half closed.

I knew she wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't just saved her life. I had to think of a great line to use that doesn't sound like I'm rejecting her.

"And you'll never have to," I said, taking a small step backwards. And watching her eyes snap open. She looked slightly disappointed, but walked up the path of the house closest to us, waved to me, and went inside.

I turned and headed back the way I had come, trying to remember where I had parked my bike before I had found Matt and Brittany.

After searching for twenty minutes, I finally found it. And not just it, Matt as well.

"Where did you disappear to?" he asked me as I approached.

"I met a girl," I said in a nonchalant way. Even in the dim light, I could see the look of astonishment on his face.

"Anyway," I continued, "I should get going. Do you need a lift?"

"Nah, I'm right, Brittany's calling a taxi. See you Monday."

"Later," I said, pulling my helmet on over my head. I turned my key in the ignition and the bike rumbled to life. I waited for Matt to move out of the way, and rode off home, wondering if there was going to be any repercussions for what I did tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2, FINALLY REVISED! I decided to flesh this one out a little bit, like I did with the first chapter. Enjoy.**

I tightened the straps, enjoying the feeling of the cool leather on my forearm. I slowly rotated my arm, taking in every detail; the Assassin symbol, the frayed edges of the leather straps, the reflected light off the blade on the underside.

_Best eighty bucks I ever spent._

I continued to admire the blade, and flexed my hand, causing the blade to come shooting out of its housing, standing there proudly. There was a knock on my door, and my mother's voice rang through, sounding slightly pissed off.

"It's 8:30, James, get a move on."

_Must be pissed because she has to babysit again. No idea why my sister can't leave her baby with her boyfriend's parents._

After a moment of trying, I managed to retract the blade. I smiled. I couldn't believe how cool this was. I grabbed my bike jacket, and pulled it on as I left the room, walking past the mannequin beside the door which held the complete set of Assassin's Creed armour.

_Well, complete apart from the piece on my wrist._

I stopped before I closed my door, contemplating whether or not I should actually take the hidden blade. I shrugged, and kept moving, the door clicking shut behind me. I walked down the hallway, moving faster as I passed the kitchen, where my mother was struggling to feed small child who seemed determined to go for a walk off a meter high baby seat. I slipped out the door into the garage, and took my helmet off the bench I had put it two days previously, when I had returned from the carnival.

I put it on my head, and opened the garage door. I called out a goodbye to my mother, who called one back in her fake nice voice, which was reserved for guests and small children. I kicked my bike into life, and rolled slowly out of the driveway, once on the road, I sped up, leaving the cul-de-sac I lived in and heading down the hill, onto the short highway that led to my school. I cruised along, going slower than I should have been, due to the massive white van in front of me. Thankfully, it pulled off, allowing the growing traffic jam behind them to speed up to the limit. Fearing I wasn't going to make it in time, I sped up a little bit, slowly leaving behind the mass of cars behind me. I followed the turnoff that led to my school, and parked in my usual spot; right next to the gate. I dropped the kickstand, took out the key, and headed to my locker, depositing my helmet and jacket.

I strolled over to the tables that my group hung out at, trying to ascertain how late I was by who was already there. The only people missing were Matt and Brittany, which meant I had at most ten minutes until class started. I was greeted as I approached, and returned the greeting. I engaged in some light conversation with Will, who was absent-mindedly scratching his new fluorescent pink cast.

"Is that what you got for, ahem, stopping the mugging?" I asked, making it clear I was taking the piss.

"Believe what you want," he retorted huffily, "it is what happened."

"Stop lying Will, they don't buy it." This voice belonged to Will's younger sister, Tanya. She was the complete opposite of her brother. Where he was heavy-set and of average attractiveness, she was the very image of perfection. At least, physically. It was almost impossible to have an intellectual conversation with her.

"What really happened?" I asked, remembering what Matt had said when I had informed him of Will's injury at the carnival.

"He ran into a car," she said simply, and Will looked sheepish. I sensed Tanya was withholding something.

"Was the car moving?" I inquired, noticing that everyone else had started listening.

"No," Tanya said, a smile growing on her face. This drew a few chuckles from the crowd.

"Was there anyone inside it?" I continued, starting to grin myself.

Tanya shook her head. "Nope. He hit a parked car, and broke his arm." The entire group howled with laughter, and Will stormed off, probably trying to find someone that didn't know the truth behind his injury.

The laughter subsided after a moment, and there was a comfortable silence, each of us imagining Will hitting that car. There were a few more chuckles. But then there was a yell. We all turned to see what had caused it, and my stomach dropped. It was one of the would-be rapists from the carnival. The big one.

He walked over to me and stared me down. Sensing what was coming, I quickly stepped backward. Not far enough though, as his fist sailed through the air and hit the side of my head, sending me tumbling to the ground. I slid my bag off, and stood up, trying to figure out how I could end this without dealing out any serious injury. I couldn't think of anything, so my best bet was to just dance around a bit until a teacher came past and stopped him. As it was, the rest of the group were smart enough to realise that there was no chance of beating this guy, even together. Tanya ran off, hopefully to get a teacher, as another swing came past, I ducked this one, and sidestepped the uppercut that followed.

Tanya returned, followed by Mr Jones.

_Thank God, Mr Jones._

Mr Jones was an average man in terms of size and muscle, but it was a well-known fact that he was a karate black-belt.

"Knock it off," he yelled, walking over to the fight. He took an elbow to the face, as the big fella drew his arm back again. Normally, Jonesy would shrug it off and kick ass, but he was slammed into a pole, and slumped down, unconscious. Knowing there was no other way for this to end, as he threw his next punch, I side-stepped it again, but this time I got my arms around his, and bent his arm the wrong way. There was a sickening CRUNCH as his bone gave way.

He howled in pain, and I punched him in the temple with my left hand, which was a massive mistake. As my fist closed, the hidden blade exposed itself, but by that time, it was too late. The blade buried itself in his skull, and the howl was silenced. I pulled my hand away, the blade sheathing itself as I did so, horrified by what I had done. I kept looking from my bloody hand to the bloody puddle slowly growing on the ground. Not stopping to think about anything other than 'I don't want to go to prison,' I ran. All the way to my bike.

I jumped on my bike, turned the key in the ignition, and pulled out of the school, leaving behind the helmet, jacket, bag, everything, except the weapon on my wrist, which was having flecks of dried blood blown off by the wind. I ducked and weaved through traffic, completely ignoring the speed limit, as well as the various cameras.

I turned into my cul-de-sac, and roared down the street, leaping off my motorcycle before I had even reached my driveway. The bike rolled for a few meters, before tipping over on the front lawn, engine still going.

All of a sudden, I was surrounded by four people in white hoods, one of whom shoved something into my neck. There was a jolt of pain, a small spasm, and I collapsed onto the ground, the world fading into darkness.

**A/N: So, I personally think this is an improvement over the original version of this chapter, which has been permanently deleted, and is never to be mentioned again. R&R, all that jazz. See you next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello there my avid readers. Here we have the third chapter of this little fic. Sorry about the wait for it, I've been busy doing other things, like not having a lovelife and avoiding my assignments. I've written the first proper fight scene, and should be implementing it soon. Anyway, I don't own any of this, yadayadayada. Enjoy.**

My first thought as I awoke was "_What happened to me?"_

The ground was bouncing. It took me several moments to realise that this was a bad thing. I sat up quickly, and there were three very distinct CLICKs. _Guns, _I thought. I suddenly remembered what had happened. I heard the guns being lowered, as it became clear to my captors that I knew the extent of my helplessness. I looked around, trying to get a look at my surroundings, maybe find the door out of what was obviously a van. But it was no use. If it wasn't a foot from my face, I couldn't see it. The cabin of the van was blocked off, reducing the amount of light to the level it was at currently.

There was a sharp turn, and I was thrown backwards, landing heavily. I hoisted myself up, while light flooded the van. It appeared that none of my kidnappers had been moved by the turn, but it had dislodged the curtain that had been blocking the light from the driver's cabin.

"Assassins," I breathed, staring at the white hooded people in front of me. The one nearest me moved toward me, putting a burlap sack over my head. The ground became extremely steep for a moment, and then levelled out, and the van stopped. The engine died, and there was silence. The bag was removed from my head.

"Sorry about that," said the assassin closest to me. I looked at them in shock.

"You're a girl." I said dumbly.

She laughed, and opened the side door of the van. "Out," she said, not unkindly, but with an obvious air of authority. I obliged, and clumsily got out of the van, standing in what looked a small hanger bay for aircraft.

One of the other assassins prodded me in the back, and I walked forward toward the door at the other end of the room. It swung open soundlessly, leading into… a plane.

"Wait, what?" I asked, turning to face the assassins, "Why are we on a plane?"

"Because all the boats were taken," said the tallest assassin.

There were probably 20 seats in front of me, and it was so nice it made a first class trip look like a ride in a VW Kombi with no air con.

The tall assassin walked in front of me, plopped down onto a seat, pulled his hood off and pulled a Superman comic out from under his chair. He put his feet up and started to read.

The female assassin put her hand on my shoulder and steered me toward one of the seats on the right. I sat down, perched on the edge of my seat.

"There's no point getting ready to run," she said with a chuckle, "We've been in the air since the hangar door closed."

I looked out the window to my right, and all I could see was the vast expanse of the ocean. Somehow, despite the fact that I had just been kidnapped, and forced onto a plane that was evidently leaving the country, I felt very calm. Maybe it was because there was a very nice woman being kind to me.

She lowered her hood, watching me with a vague interest, before opening the wall of the plane and pulling out two bottles of Coke.

_Correction, _I thought,_ a very nice, extremely gorgeous woman._

I took the bottle she offered me, but made move to open it, instead, I asked the question I should have asked at the beginning, "What do the assassins want with me?"

The third assassin, as well as someone who must have been the driver of the van walked past at that point.

"Relax," said the soft tone of the driver, "we're not going to kill you."

"Yeah," chimed in her partner in a deeper, yet just as feminine voice, "if we wanted you dead we would have done it by now."

_I can't fault their logic,_ I thought.

"So…." I asked, looking around at the people around me, waiting for an answer.

"It means the Brotherhood wants to recruit you," said the tall one reading the comic.

**Hi there. Well, what did you think? Sorry it's so short; I'm working on fixing that. Anyway, I'm going to need 4 names for the "kidnappers", three girls and a guy. So, you know the drill, R&R, feed the cat, tip your waitress, that sorta stuff. See you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey there everyone, I'm back, and I would like to start by apologising for not updating in ages. I've had a bit of writer's block. But anyway, here's this chapter, just to show that I haven't forgotten about you. Enjoy.**

"Damn it Sam," said the girl next to me, "you ruined the surprise."

The other two girls, who had just sat down in the row in front of us, blew a raspberry at the one called Sam, and the girl next to me threw the bottle cap from her Coke at him.

_They seem very laid back for expert murderers._ I thought, watching the bottle cap bounce off of Sam's head and onto his now closed comic. Sniggers came from the seats in front of me.

"What?" he said defensively, "It's not like he was never going to find out."

"Sam has a point, Karen," said the more masculine of the girls in front of me, "and I know I hated not knowing why I was picked."

"But I suppose you never experienced that, did you?" chimed in her partner.

I looked from them to Karen, wondering why they were now taking the piss out of her.

"You see," said Karen, turning to me, "they were all recruited into the Brotherhood. They were chosen because they had…" she paused for a second, trying to find the right word, "…desirable talents. Me, on the other hand, I was born into the Brotherhood. I have been trained from the day I was born, and every Assassin that was recruited sees this as an unfair advantage."

I nodded slowly, absorbing what she was saying.

_Because I was recruited, they think I'll be at a disadvantage. But I was chosen for a reason, and I'm going to prove that I am just as good as the rest of them._

"I appreciate what you are trying to do," I started, addressing Sam and the other two girls, "But I think it would be better if you would leave the rest as a surprise. The Brotherhood chose me for a reason, and I don't want that reason to be that every little trick and trap was spoiled for me, so I was able to navigate around them."

There was silence for a moment, and then the more feminine girl in front of me spoke up.

"Well said, but are you sure about that? Assassin training is brutal. Cruelly so. Every year, at least one Recruit dies in training from not being prepared for the challenges. You seem nice, and we, or at least I, don't want you to be that one."

"Like I said before," I replied, "I was chosen for a reason. If the Brotherhood didn't think I could handle this, would they have chosen me?"

"No," said Sam, "They wouldn't have. But even the Assassin Brotherhood makes mistakes. The dead Recruits are testimony for that."

At that moment, a voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Attention passengers, we have detected a Templar aircraft coming to intercept us. Report to battle stations."

I was pushed back into my seat as Karen got up and pressed a button above my head, causing a seat belt to strap me to the seat.

"Stay here," she warned, "If anything happens, just yell." And with that she walked off towards the front of the plane, which was starting to pitch and roll.

_Obviously the pilot is taking evasive manoeuvres. This is going to be one hell of a ride._

**A/N: Sorry about it being short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer, if only slightly. Also, fair warning, there will be a lot of pop-culture references, starting next chapter. My reasoning is this; the Assassins have the most advanced technology on the planet, so they should have a few futuristic gadgets. Anyway, R&R, brush your teeth, wash behind your ears, all that jazz. See you next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: As promised, your next chapter, not long after the previous chapter. Enjoy.**

The plane did a complete barrel role, just as the sound of gunfire began the fill the air, and the bullets themselves began to dent the side of the plane, and scratch the glass.

_At least it's bullet-proof._ I thought to myself, but that thought quickly left my mind as the window on my right cracked from what I can only assume is a massive calibre bullet. I tried to free myself from my bindings, but it was no use.

_The only way out of these things is to cut them, and there is nothing to cut them with._ I groaned in frustration, and tried to twist my wrists free, before I realised that I couldn't feel anything on my left wrist. I looked down at it, and saw that I was still wearing the hidden blade. I shot it out of its housing, and used the pivot system to put it into a reverse grip, with the blade now at right angles to the sheath. I spun my arm around, so my palm was now facing upwards. In this new position, I could try to cut through the bindings. After several minutes of attacking the seat belt, it came loose, and I was able to free my left arm. It took only a matter of seconds to find the button above my head, press it, and free myself from the chair. The scratched window on my right decided at that moment to shatter, letting a howling wind conquer the plane. The sudden change in air pressure caused a very loud POP to sound in my ears, and I felt something warm run down the side of my face, contrasting the freezing winds that were rushing in.

I headed toward the front of the plane, where the others had disappeared. I opened the door, and was shocked to find more doors, as well as lockers and cabinets, and various other containers. I opened the cupboard closest to me, and I was shocked at what I saw.

_It looks just like the one in the movie. I wonder if it works._ I reached out and touched the centre of it. It lit up, and I grinned.

"This is going to be fun," I said, pressing the assembly button, and watching as the Iron Man suit was put on around me.

I pushed the thrusters to their limits, trying to compensate for the twenty seconds of free fall I had experienced while trying to figure out how to get the thing to fly. I had just realised that it was voice controlled. It was also a product of Artificial Intelligence.

"Okay," I said to the suit, not feeling silly in the slightest, "Let's get up there and help the others."

"Are you sure about that," the suit replied in my voice. Now I felt a little silly. "If we were to go up there and engage the Templars in battle, you would be exposing one of the Brotherhoods best weapons. Perhaps it would be better to take them out from here."

I thought about this for a moment, and decided that it was right.

_If the Assassins didn't want to keep this a secret, they would be using it themselves._ I flew under the Assassin plane, and saw a shocking sight. There was another Iron Man. In fact, there were three of them.

_This is the fourth suit, and there were four Assassins. The last one must be flying the plane._

I started to fly up to help them, but the suit spoke up, "If you were to join them, it would be futile. They are simply trying to cause so much damage that the Templars will leave. This will not happen. If you want to really help, shoot a missile at the aircraft." A target appeared on the screen in front of me, and I shot a missile at it. It ripped through the aircraft, which promptly exploded into lots of itty-bitty pieces. The other Assassins stopped for a moment, before following the smoke trail from the missile back to my outstretched arm.

"Hey, suit," I started.

"Yes,"

"Do you have a name?"

"Yes, it is Morty,"

"Morty," I started, "It has been a pleasure working with you."

"And you, sir," Morty replied as the other suits reached me and began escorting me back to the plane.

I was pushed back into my seat, and Karen sat beside me. The other two girls, whose names I had learned were Georgia, (the feminine one) and Simone (the deeper one) had spun the chairs in front of me around and sat down, watching me with interest. Sam was back on his seat, reading his comic book.

"Sam," said Georgia, "can you please put that thing down and help us with this scolding?"

Sam looked at us with a look that clearly said "What's the point". He confirmed this by saying that a moment later.

"The point," started Karen in a fierce voice, "is that he used Assassin equipment without training, permission, or a plan. He could have died."

I was getting a little bit sick of the way they were talking about me. "_He _is sitting right here, and doesn't like being patronised."

"Fine then," she rounded on me, "you took one of the most advanced pieces of equipment on this aircraft, and, without training, flew out into a battle field and blew up a plane."

"Technically, it wasn't a battle _field_, so much as–" Sam got no further before a throwing knife embedded itself in the wall not more than 3 inches from his head.

Karen took a deep breath and lowered her arm.

"Now then, as I was saying," she continued, until Simone cut her off.

"What harm did it do Karen?" she asked. "I was watching the entire thing from the cockpit. If he hadn't done what he did, we wouldn't be sitting in a plane; we would be lying dead in a pile of wreckage, floating in the ocean."

Karen looked like she was ready to kill someone.

_And knowing my luck, it would probably be me._

Instead of stabbing me though, she simply got up and walked to the back of the plane, into the hangar. There was a very distinct CLICK as she locked the door behind her. A second later there was a sound that could only be described as a VWOOOOORP. I inquired about this.

"It means she's soundproofed the room," explained Sam.

"So she's; screaming, crying, training, or all three," added Simone.

There was a short silence while Georgia righted the two seats in front of me. Sam got up and offered me one of his comics, which I accepted with a grateful nod. Just as I started to read, there was a VWOOOOORP, and a CLICK. The door opened, and Karen walked out, taking a seat at the very front of the cabin.

Then the computerised voice rang out over the loudspeakers, "Attention Recruit #385942." I looked at Sam, and he pointed at me. I nodded. "Upon your arrival at the Academy, you are to stand before the Council for a disciplinary hearing." Sam, Georgia and Simone all looked at me sympathetically, then directed their gaze toward Karen at the front, who was flipping through a Dolly magazine, apparently oblivious to the shocked gazes coming from her fellow Assassins.

I knew that whatever was about to happen, it wasn't good.

**A/N: So, what do you think? Don't worry, I have a plan to bring Morty back into the story. Anyway, if you have any other devices you would like me to add to the Assassin Armoury, let me know, apart from the obvious laser guns and lightsabers. Please, R&R, I really want to know what you think about this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be written and uploaded by the end of next week, so, you know, keep your inbox open.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey there my loyal readers. So, as of this chapter, I will try to update as regularly as possible. Also, I will try and re-write that shit I called the first chapter. Enjoy.**

As soon as the plane landed, I was rushed off of it. Karen immediately headed off to a large open-sided building that Sam identified as the dojo. Simone and Georgia both went off to report the success and conclusion of the mission. That left Sam to guide me to the Council.

"The most important thing to remember," He told me, "is that these are the most skilled, powerful and influential Assassins in this hemisphere. So be polite. Don't speak unless given permission, and above all, do _not _mention their colours."

I was puzzled. "What do you mean 'their colours'?"

"Each Council member has his own uniquely coloured robes. They indicate their best skill. For example, Karen's father is Councilman Red, because he is the most skilled fighter."

"Wait," I said, stopping. "Karen's father is on the Council?"

Sam nodded, gesturing for me to keep moving. "Yes, he is. But that doesn't mean anything. The Council is like the UN. If one of them doesn't like the proposed action, it can be VETO'd."

I relaxed, but only marginally. "Why shouldn't I mention their colours?" I asked, curious as to what could be so important about this little detail.

"The room is completely dark." He explained. "Don't try to identify an individual member. They will take it as an attempt to gain favouritism. You will be told to stand in a spotlight before a stage, and they will question you about the events of the mission. You. Must. Not. Lie." He said these last few words with massive emphasis.

I nodded, and we walked the last few meters in silence. As we reached the door to what looked like a small auditorium, Sam stopped. "Good luck," he said, and walked away.

_Great, now I'm alone. Oh well, with this sort of lifestyle, should probably get used to it._

I knocked on the door. After a moment, it silently glided open, showing a dark room. I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me. I stood in the darkness for a moment.

"Step into the spotlight, and state your name." A soft, yet obviously important voice sounded through the room, as a white spotlight was activated, pointing at a spot about ten meters in front of me. I walked into it and, as loudly and clearly as I could manage, said, "James Rogers."

There was a pause for a moment, before a deep, commanding voice boomed through the darkness, almost making me cower. "Tell us, in your own words, what happened to you on this mission."

So I did. I didn't leave out any little detail. I told them everything. I told them about Sam's comic, I told them about the thrown bottle cap, my thoughts as the fight started, my escape, and my time in the suit, and I even told them about the knife that had narrowly missed Sam.

When I had finished, I stood there, my hands behind my back. I stood like this for what felt like an eternity. Just as I was thinking I should say something, there was a knock on the door.

"Take twelve steps to your left, and say nothing." Said the soft voice from the beginning. I did as I was told, and the spotlight was extinguished.

The door was opened, and someone walked in. The same soft voice said, "Step into the spotlight, and state your name." I heard light footsteps, as Karen stepped into the light.

"Karen Douglas," she said, without a trace of fear in her voice.

_When did they summon her?_ I wondered. There was no point in the proceedings that anything was said to anyone else apart from them to me or me to them.

They began the same way, asking her to describe the mission in her own words. She started from her departure of this place, which she called 'The Academy'. Apparently, they had been gone for three weeks, following me, trying to determine whether or not I was Assassin material. I tried to think what would have made them follow me.

_Three weeks. Hang on, that was when I ordered the armour online._

Karen continued to explain that they were unsure until the night they followed me to a carnival.

_I remember that night._

She grazed over the details of that night, saying that they were explained in the report she had submitted. She continued with the story. I payed careful attention to this part, trying to see if any part of the story differed from the story I had told the Council. Up until the battle, everything matched up. From that point, she made me sound like a spoilt little child that couldn't obey orders.

At this point, a woman whispered in my ear, "Don't move", and they placed something over my face. Everything turned green, and I could see.

_Night vision goggles._

She also handed me a crossbow, with one shot.

"Wait for the order," she told me, and walked away. I turned back to the spotlight, goggles still on, crossbow held to my side.

Karen had finished her story, and was standing there, arms by her side, weight on one leg, like she didn't care about this at all.

_Very different from the girl I met on the plane._

The same woman then spoke to Karen from the stage. "From the way you are explaining this, you are making it sound like this boy is not worthy of joining us. That he has no inherent skill or the ability to follow orders."

"That is exactly what I am saying," said Karen in a smug voice.

"If that is the case," continued the woman, as though Karen hadn't just interrupted her, "this will do nothing." I sensed I was about to receive my order, and I brought up my crossbow, fairly certain of the order I was going to receive. "Shoot her in the shoulder."

I quickly brought the crossbow to aim at Karen's shoulder and fired before she could react. The bolt flew through the air with a soft whistling, and embedded itself into her upper arm. I quickly moved away from the spot I had fired from, for safety.

Karen jerked around and threw a knife at the spot I had just been standing, yelling in agony.

_I have to hand it to her, even in a pitch black room and a crossbow bolt in her arm; she still has a perfect aim._

The spotlight immediately went out and, through my night vision goggles, I saw six people lunge forward off of their chairs and race across to Karen, who was promptly tackled to the ground and restrained.

"Take off your goggles," said the woman, and I assumed she was talking about me, so I did. Just in time as well, as the hall was flooded with light, and I saw the six Council members rising from Karen's struggling form. I immediately noticed their colours. There was Red, who was the last to rise from Karen's body, indicating that he had led the assault. There was also Gold, Green, Blue, Grey, and Black.

Karen's head turned toward me, and upon seeing the crossbow in my hand, began screeching and struggling against her binds. The Gold Councilman walked over to me and retrieved the crossbow and goggles, and went to place them on the stage. Meanwhile, Blue and Green were removing the bolt from Karen's arm, and wrapping it in a bandage. After they had finished, they went and joined the discussion between Black and Red. Grey and Gold were both examining notes they had evidently made during the discussions.

_I wonder, am I supposed to leave now?_

As I made my way over to where Red and Gold were comparing notes, I heard a snap, and, turning to the noise, saw Karen sprinting at me. All of the Council members were too shocked to do anything but watch as Karen came hurtling toward me, hidden blade bared.

_Well, time to shine._

Her blade went for my throat, but I dropped to my knees, with my left fist burying itself in her stomach. As she bent over, gasping, I rose and palmed her arm, where the bolt had hit her. She yelped in pain, and fell to the ground. I rolled her onto her front and held her down, my knees pinning her arms to the ground. She started to thrash around, but before she could do much else, the Council had gathered their wits and were binding her again.

"Perhaps you should leave," Gold said to me, and I recognised the voice as the booming, commanding one. I nodded, and left, wondering what the hell had just happened.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Be sure to check out my revised first chapter. I will try to rewrite/revise/expand/destroy the first few chapters, so check back every now and then to see if I have.**

Having spent the past several hours inside various vehicles or buildings, it was nice to be outside. As I stepped out into the sunshine from the Council Building, I breathed deeply, savouring the freshness of the air. I looked around, trying to see where I was supposed to go next. The first thing I noticed was the openness of this place. This entire place was greatly spaced out, with at least one hundred meters between each building. I gazed at the long, tall building to the left of the Council Building. After a quick count, I established that it was ten storeys tall, and was as long as a city street. Someone ran across the courtyard in front of me, heading toward the dojo. They saw me, and gestured me to follow, and kept running. I followed at a quick jog, bounding into a sprint after fifty meters, trying to keep up with the Assassin.

They ran straight past the dojo, heading for where a crowd had formed. I could vaguely hear, above the roar of the crowd, calls of "Place your bets," and various foods being pedalled. I made my way to the back of the crowd, looking around for a clue as to what was going on.

The crowd started moving forward, and a hand gripped my shoulder. I turned and saw the kind face of Simone, leading me onwards.

"It's called The Pit," she said to me, leading me through the crowd. I wondered about that, until the crowd separated a moment later. It really was a pit. In fact, it looked like a miniature version of the Colosseum. The Pit consisted of a large, round dirt ring, surrounded on all sides by bleachers, which were quickly being filled by spectators. The Pit looked to be about fifty meters in diameter, with wood panelled walls encompassing it. As Simone led me to a seat, two people jumped into The Pit and proceeded to strip off their clothing until they both had bared tops, except for the girl, who was still wearing a chest binding to prevent 'exposure'. She and her male opponent squared off, sizing each other up. The male was bulky, with a large amount of muscle, obvious from even where I was now sitting. The female on the other hand, was skinny, though not dangerously so, yet still had an air of strength that made me uneasy from thirty meters away. There was a moment of silence; even the betting crew had gone silent, watching from their place on the stairs. The air grew heavy with the lack of noise.

Off in the distance, a crow sounded off a call, and as though that was gunshot, the two people in The Pit launched at each other, the males fist already flying through the air, but the woman was ready. She kept running, dropping to her knees at the last second, sliding under the slab of meat that was flying toward her. As she passed, she extended her arm, grabbing the man's knee and swinging herself up and around him, now completely off the ground, legs level with his face. She took advantage of this, bending her leg and smashing her knee into his nose. I thought that would end it, but I was wrong, because she had to keep moving after that blow, and he was ready for that. He grabbed her on her way around and, after shaking her for a moment, threw her to the far side of the arena. She hit the ground heavily, bouncing along the ground. When she finally hit the wall, she pulled herself up, using the wall to support herself. The guy came flying toward her, not even bothering to extend a fist, simply intending to slam her into the wall. But before he could hit her, she fell to the ground. He turned at the last minute and slammed into the wall himself, to her right.

He bent down and examined her, the entire crowd murmuring in a worried tone. The person sitting next to me jumped into the arena, running over to the fighters with a green box in hand.

"Hold on, a minute ago they were trying to kill each other," I said to Simone, "What happened?"

"It's the rule of The Pit. You can fight all you like, but as soon as one of you has a serious injury, its fight over," she explained, craning her neck to see how bad the injury was. With the help of her massive opponent, the woman managed to stand up, and was promptly hoisted out of the Pit, and ushered away by a team of people.

"Is everything normally this serious?" I asked, wondering what kind of life I would have here.

"No, not always," Simone replied, rising from her seat and motioning for me to the same, "But Jessica has always had serious back problems, and even with our advanced medical procedures, there isn't a lot we could do for her."

"Wait, _Advanced _medical procedures, what do you mean?" I asked, wondering exactly how advanced the Brotherhood was.

"Yeah, we are way ahead of the rest of the world. The only group equal with us in technological advancements is the Templars."

I pondered over this for a moment. _It makes sense, I suppose. My history teacher always said nothing spurs technology like a war, and these guys have been fighting for a thousand years._

"Anyway, come on, I've got to give you the tour." Simone continued, leading me out of the bleachers and back towards the dojo.

As we reached the openness of the dojo, a man in full Assassin garb walked over to us. Obviously you learn to recognise each other by outfit, because, even though his entire face was hidden, Simone immediately recognised him.

"Dom," she exclaimed, running over to him, "You're back."

"Sure am," he said, embracing her, "Good to see you again sis. Who's this?" he asked, turning to me.

"This is James," she responded, "We just recruited him. Anyway, come on, I want to hear all about this mission." She turned to me. "I'm sorry James, but I haven't seen him in six months. Do you mind if we do this tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's fine." I replied. Simone beamed at me, and she and her brother walked away, him sweeping his hood off of his head as he did so, showing me shoulder length blonde hair.

It wasn't until they had reached the long building that I realised that I was stranded in a foreign place, with no friends or protection, surrounded by people that I knew would have no problem with killing me. I decided to arm myself.

_Lucky I'm in a dojo._

I moved over to the cupboard set against the one closed side of the dojo. Upon seeing the padlock that held the handles together, I groaned in frustration.

"Want me to open that for you?" asked a voice from behind me. I spun in surprise, arms flying up to shield my face in instinct.

Realising I wasn't going to be attacked; I lowered my arms, looking at the girl in front of me. The first thing that I noticed about her was how beautiful she was. The second thing was that she had a massive war-hammer resting on her right shoulder.

She smiled at me. "Don't look so worried. If anyone wanted to hurt you, it would have happened already."

"That's the second time I've heard that today." I replied, nervously eyeing the hammer.

"Because it's true," she retorted, moving toward me, lifting the hammer from her shoulder. I quickly stepped out of the way, ready to run, but I didn't need to. She simply smirked at my precautions and opened the cupboard as if the padlock wasn't even there. The cupboard wasn't what I had expected. There were no weapons, no racks, not even a light; just an empty cupboard. The girl walked in, turning to face me.

"Coming?" she asked me, eyebrows raised.

I quickly stepped inside, and she closed the door. Then the cupboard shuddered, and I had the strange sensation of slowly falling.

_An elevator?_

It stopped moving, and the girl opened to doors.

"I'm Kelly, by the way," she said, walking through the doors.

"I'm..." I started, but was stopped by the shocking sight in front of me. It was the size of a shopping centre, and it was completely filled with weapons. Kelly walked through the rows of guns and knives with a practiced ease, heading straight ahead, and turning left after thirty meters.

"You're…" she said as she walked, me trailing behind.

"Scared," I said without thinking, and immediately face palmed. "I'm James," I said, still looking around at the sheer magnitude of weapons around me. Toward the end of the room, which would have been two hundred meters away, was a massive steel door. Kelly saw me looking.

"That's the garage," she said, and after a pause, asked, "Do you want to go for a ride?"

**A/N: Be sure to R&R. Sorry about the delay, but this is my exam week, so sorry about that. See you next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: It seems like I start the majority of these chapters with an apology, so this time I'll just go with an excuse; I was busy. Now, please enjoy this extremely jumpy chapter.**

I followed Kelly into the garage, and my stomach dropped. Councilman Gold was already here, leaning against a silver Aston Martin.

"James, it's time for your orientation. Follow me," he said, walking toward the elevator I had just vacated. I looked at Kelly, who simply gestured with her head to follow. I stepped back into the elevator and prayed to the deities of all religions that I wouldn't be punished for this.

The elevator reached the top, and we exited, the Councilman leading me across the field to The Pit. We went down and took a seat in the front row.

"So…" he began, "Do you have any questions about this place or the Brotherhood?"

I was surprised, but hid it.

"Actually, yes," I said, "why are we in the front row?" I looked around, my eyes sweeping over all the empty seats around us.

"Well deserved paranoia," Gold said in a slightly amused voice, "Down here, we will be able to hear anyone approaching from behind, and we can see to the other side."

I nodded understandingly; it made sense, especially with their lifestyle.

"What about the games?" I asked, remembering the reason they had taken an interest in me in the first place.

"Games?" said Gold, looking momentarily puzzled, and then understanding dawned on his face. "Oh, the Assassin's Creed series? It's a very elaborate disguise."

At my puzzled look, he continued. "Should our Brotherhood ever be exposed to the wider world, he can claim we are on over-zealous cult based on the game series. We will still all go to prison, but the awkward questions about the history of our group will be moot."

He looked forward, gazing absently across the arena. I followed his gaze, and saw Councilman Green standing over a garden with a group of young assassins.

"I'm actually quite astounded," Gold said after long moment of silence, "that you haven't asked about our colours yet." I looked at him, to find he was looking at me.

"I would have, but I think I have figured it out."

"Did Kelly tell you?" he asked, looking back across to the other side of the stands.

"No, we didn't really get a chance to talk before you collected me." I replied, starting to feel more at ease.

"Then by all means, have a guess."

"Okay, well, I'll start with you. Your robes are gold, and knowledge is golden, so I think you are the wisest of the Council."

Gold looked impressed. "Well done. What about the others?"

"Well, Red would be the best fighter, because Red is associated with blood and blood is spilt by violence. Gray would be the stealthiest, for obvious reasons. I'm not positive about these next ones, but from seeing what Green is doing now, I would think she would be the one to consult about poisons and poultices. Black would probably be the best at hiding, but I know that Gray is that one, because he's been sitting behind us for the past few minutes, and you have yet to notice." I turned around, and sure enough, there was the smiling bearded face underneath a gray hood.

"How did you know he was there?" Gold inquired, after recovering from the shock of being snuck up on.

"I don't know, I guess I just knew," I said, feeling extremely puzzled.

"Have you experienced this before?" Gray asked, moving to lean against the rail in front of me.

"Ever since I could remember, I have been able to tell when someone was near me, and even, once or twice, anticipate an attack." I said, not looking up from the ground. Knowing exactly how stupid it sounded, I added, "Is that a normal thing for assassins?"

"It's not unheard of, having abilities like that." Gold said, "I'll look into it for you, try and put a name to it."

Gray spoke up, "So, what about the other Council colours?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea," I said, looking from Gold to Gray and back again, "What are they?"

"Blue is the best at surgery, and negotiations," Gold said, "They are normally the most peaceful of the Council."

"And Black," Gray added, "is the best at killing,"

I looked puzzled. "What do you mean, 'at killing'? You all have your specialities; and they all help you to kill, except maybe Blue, so why is Black's so definitive?"

Gold and Gray exchanged looks, and looked back at me.

"You'll learn very quickly that killing is the least definitive thing about being an Assassin." Gray said, with a serious voice.

"Anyway, do you have any other questions?" Gold asked, and I shook my head, trying to figure out what Gray's statement meant.

"Good, then follow me and we'll set up your accommodation," Gold rose and began walking up the aisle, I followed, and Gray disappeared from sight, but I could still somehow tell that he had slipped into The Pit and was sticking to the rim, crawling around the outside.

I followed Gold up the stairs, and together we went to what would appear to be the administration building. We went inside and he handed me a key, as well as a better quality version of the thing that was already sitting on my wrist.

"Your hidden blade," he said, handing it to me. I removed the one I already had on and put it on the table, where it was promptly picked up by Gold and tucked into his robes. He gestured for me to put the blade on.

I looked at the bracer, and found no straps to tighten it. I put it on my wrist anyway, and it tightened on its own. I recoiled in shock, but found it would not fall. I tried to pull it off, and came away as easily as it went on. Upon examination, I discovered that it was the same size as before. I looked at Gold for an explanation.

"Assassin science," he said with a shrug.

I nodded slowly and placed it back on my wrist, where it tightened again. I shook my arm as hard as I could, but it wouldn't budge.

"It won't come off unless you pull it off yourself." Gold explained, "Now then, your room is on the third floor, number eleven." He looked around, "Hmm, I have to get back to work, and there is no-one to show you around. Will you be alright on your own?"

I nodded, and he scurried off down a corridor, leaving me again alone in a foreign place.

_But at least this time, I know that if anyone wanted me dead, I'd already be dead._

I walked out the door, and went calmly, but quickly, to the long dormitory building on the other side of the courtyard. I reached the door, and entered, a light scanning my body. It found my left wrist and disappeared. I thought nothing of it, and continued walking to the elevator, which opened when I came within two meters of it. I entered and found no buttons. Assuming it was as technologically advanced as the rest of the place, I went with my gut instinct.

"Third floor," I said clearly, and was met with an equally clear reply.

"Say 'please' you ungrateful little shit," came the generic soft female computer voice, albeit with a bit of a sting to it.

Taken aback by the response, I gulped. "Sorry, third floor please."

"That's better," the voice chimed again, as the elevator began to move.

As it reached the third floor, the doors opened, and, for fear of what it would do to me, I jumped out, with a quick "Thank you," and walked very quickly down the hall, wanting to put as much space between me and that temperamental elevator as possible.

I slowed as I reached the room with a moderately sized "11" on it. I unlocked the door, and stepped inside, slipping my key back in my pocket as I did so. The first thing I noticed when I entered, was that I was not alone.

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I have to give you a reason to keep reading. Please R&R, because you didn't for the last one and I actually felt unloved, just ask my unofficial beta Gedomazo10tails. Actually, read his stuff, it's pretty good. I apologise for the shameless plug. Anyway, see you all (metaphorically) next time.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I hope you enjoy what is essentially a filler chapter. Just a reminder as well, that I update as I write, so don't start complaining if I don't update for a while. Also, standard disclaimer. I own nothing, yadda yadda yadda. Enjoy**

I scanned the room, looking for the presence that I felt. All of a sudden, the colours of the world inverted, and I saw the golden glow of a person inside the closet. Then, as quickly as it came, the colours returned to their normal hues. Feeling extremely confused, yet also cautiously paranoid, I extended my hidden blade, and stepped quietly toward the closet. I put out my hand, grasping the handle, and pulled the door open, arm poised, seemingly ready to stab, though the truth was the exact opposite. I was terrified, of everything. Of the weapon hanging onto my arm, and of the fact that whatever was causing me to see people was steadily becoming more powerful.

As the door swung open, my left arm readied itself, but there as only a familiar smiling face.

"BOO!" Kelly yelled as the door opened, jumping out with her hands spread on either side of her face. Upon seeing my bared blade, her face hardened, and her hands fell to her sides. I quickly sheathed my blade.

"Sorry, guess I'm a little paranoid." I said, looking down and shaking my head. I backed away from her slightly, feeling unbelievably embarrassed that I had just threatened the one person in this place that had shown me any kindness.

"It's alright. I guess I shouldn't have tried to scare you on what is probably the most stressful day of your life." She replied, walking over to the Queen-sized bed in the corner and sitting down. She patted the spot next to her, giving a small smile. I strode over and sat down next to her, and looked around, taking in my surroundings for the first time.

The room was amazing. It contained its own kitchenette, on-suite, as well as a 35" television, three seater sofa, mini-fridge, a large mahogany desk against the wall, several bookcases, one of which was full of old, dusty tomes, and, surprisingly, every gaming console from the past thirty years in a cabinet surrounding the T.V, and a row of cupboards underneath, probably housing the games. And in the corner stood a naked mannequin.

We sat for a long time, talking about anything and everything that crossed our minds. There were the boring topics like the weather and how nice everyone is, but then it got more personal.

"How did you end up in the Brotherhood anyway?" I asked, bumping her arm with mine, "You seem like you would have had a great life before all this,"

She stared at the ground for a moment. "That's a really personal question, and I'm sorry, but I don't really want to talk about it at the moment."

Feeling like she was about to start crying, I quickly changed the subject.

"Do you feel like helping me kill some turtles?" I asked, getting up and opening the cupboard under the T.V.

"Sorry, what?" Kelly asked, sounding horrified.

I turned around and showed her the game I was holding. "Super Mario Bros. You wanna play?"

She laughed, and nodded, "Sure, I'll play. Your classes don't start til next week anyway."

"Why's that?" I asked as I put the cartridge in the console. I turned back and handed one of the controllers to Kelly.

"It gives you time to acquaint yourself with the surrounding area, and get over any possible jet-lag. Plus, the Council is really big on the whole 'make friends' thing, so they give you time for that."

For the next several hours we played various games together, and continued talking. Then it hit me, the big question I should have asked earlier.

"What happens to my family?" I asked, pausing the game and looking across at Kelly.

"I can't say for certain, but odds are the Brotherhood will fake your death to keep them safe and from asking questions about your disappearance."

I nodded slowly. It made quite a bit of sense. If anyone found out that I was part of a secret group of murderers, it would be disastrous for the Brotherhood, as well as the families of every Assassin.

"You gonna press play, or just sit there staring into space." Kelly asked, poking me in the chest. Shaking my head, I pressed play on the controller, and the game continued. We kept playing for several more minutes, until a chiming began ringing throughout the room.

"Is that your ringtone?" I asked, chuckling as I recognised it as the Mexican Hat Dance.

"Yeah, I've gotta take this." She replied, walking quickly out of the room.

I took this opportunity to peruse the ancient books on the 6' bookcase. It was mainly the history of the Brotherhood, beginning with the creation of the Masyaf fortress. It then followed the lives of each of the major Assassins; from Altair, following the Assassin migration to Europe and the Auditore family. It then showed the connection between the Auditores and the Kenways in England, related through Ezio's youngest daughter.

That was all I could ascertain before Kelly came back into the room.

"Sorry, I've gotta go. My trainer just called and set a specialised training match for me. I'll see you later." She stepped forward and gave me a loose hug, a kiss on the cheek, and walked out the door, giving a small wave as she did.

As the door closed, I began to look around, taking in the rest of the room. The desk in the corner had a light green felt covering it, ending about 8" from the edge of the desk, with a black high-backed leather chair. The top drawer on either side of the desk had a lock, but no kind of key. I moved on, looking around the kitchenette. It was approximately a 9' long bench, with a sink built in to the far left one, with cabinets all along the front of the benches, with the far left having the mini-fridge, and the panel to the right having a set of drawers. The wall beside the fridge opened up, revealing a small pantry, containing no food at all. Checking the cabinets revealed they only contained plates, pots, and pans. The drawers contained all different kinds of cutlery, and the fridge only had a couple of empty bottles. I closed the fridge and scanned the room again, hoping to discover something I had overlooked before. I looked at the door, and noticed a panel beside the light-switches. It had only one button, with a small touch screen above it. I pressed the button, and a holographic keyboard appeared just below the screen, which said "Select AI for room".

_AI? Does it actually mean Artificial Intelligence?_

Thinking, I remembered one AI that I had met. So I tapped their name into the hologram.

"M. O. R. T. Y." I said, stating each letter as I put it in. I tapped enter and he keyboard disappeared. A small hourglass appeared on the screen, spinning around every few seconds.

"It's loading. Really?" I asked no-one in particular, so imagine my surprise when I got a response.

"Is it really that hard to believe? Even here, things load." A voice rang through the room.

"Morty?" I asked, looking around, before realising he was a computer program and immediately stopping the mildly frantic spinning.

"No, it's the Lord your God." The voice said again, dripping with sarcasm, "So, I'm stuck with you for the rest of my battery life? I suppose it could be worse."

"What does that mean, 'stuck with me'?" I asked, walking over to the desk and sitting down on the high-backed chair.

Morty sounded exasperated. "It means that I am now bound to serve you."

"How so?"

"Think JARVIS from Iron Man," he said.

There was silence for a moment, with me taking in the fact that I had my own personal AI.

"I would recommend," Morty said, "That you start your studies. It is expected that you have some sort of background in most things when you start your lessons."

"I will get right on that, with a course written completely by the Brotherhood," I said, getting up and walking over to the T.V. I bent down and opened the cupboard, sifting through the games looking for a specific one.

"What are you doing?" Morty asked, sounding mildly interesting.

"Among other things, I'm exploiting a loophole in your statement." I replied, a grin on my face. I found what I was looking for, and pulled it out.

"What have you got there?" inquired Morty.

"A game," I informed him, "or rather, a game series." I placed four of the five Assassin's Creed games on the floor, and inserted the disc of the original game into the PS3.

"Time to study?" Morty asked.

"Time to study." I replied, settling back into the couch.

**A/N: I hope you all liked it, and just a warning that if you comment upon my console choice, I will continue to use it simply to spite you. So, R&R, and, to alleviate any fears, if I do ever abandon this story, I will inform you, so don't fret if I don't update for a while (See above A/N), because it simply means that I have either a good idea or writer's block.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I hope you guys all feel special; I have chosen to avoid my assignments in order to update this story. So, I'm awaiting suggestions for the weapons to include, even though a request was made several chapters ago. Anyway (dramatic arm gesture) on with the show. Oh, and I obviously own only the idea for this story, the majority of characters, the setting, and the words. But apart from that, I own nothing.**

I awoke to the now familiar sound of Morty, doing his best impression of a howler monkey. I sat up, and looked around the room, which was now starting to feel like home.

I had been here for a little over a month now, and I was already beginning to settle into a set rhythm. Every morning, Morty would wake me up at 4:30 with some sort of animal noise, and I would get up, have a small meal, and head out to do training.

As I munched on my toast, I went through my class schedule for the day, despite it never changing.

**9:30-10:15 – Language Studies – Arabic/ German – Room A7**

**10:30- 11:15 – Combat Training – Intermediate – Dojo**

**11:20-12:15 – Assorted Subjects – Room C8**

**12:20- 12:35 – Lunch**

**12:35-1:30 – Stealth training – Beginner – Meet at Pit**

**1:35-3:00 – Elective – Field Medicine – The Pit**

**3:05-4:05 – Weapons Training – Beginner - Dojo**

**4:05-4:15 – Meal Break**

**4:15-5:00 – Infiltration – Room A3**

Then, in a flowing script under that was the following;

**5 til 6, Evasive Driving Classes with Ethan. DON'T BE LATE!**

I remembered my confusion with this timetable on my first day, wondering how I was going to survive these classes, and this was before I had chosen my elective.

At my first language lesson, they had given me the choice of two out of all languages. I had originally chosen Italian and German, but that had been rejected, because they said one European language would be enough, so I swapped to Arabic, in an attempt to reconnect with my Middle-Eastern heritage. It was surprisingly easy to learn a language, especially when there were only three other students in that class.

Combat training was another surprise. Not only to me, but to my Master as well. Ten minutes into the first class, I had already beaten every other beginner in the room. This got me moved up to the intermediate class, where I was apprenticed to Sam, who was happy to see me again. I will never forget the look of surprise on his face when I had him disarmed in twenty seconds during our first duel.

Assorted Subjects was by far my least favourite class, but I understood why it was necessary. In that class, you were taught everything that you would need to maintain a cover. So, basic English, math, history, geography, etc. Basically everything you wouldn't need to be an Assassin. Also, it was a larger class, with about twenty students at any given time.

Stealth Training was basically a giant game of hide and seek. I would hide for as long as I could, but my trainer, Erin, always found me. My record so far is 4 minutes 13 seconds, but that was just because it was in the middle of a freak dust storm. My average hiding time is about 42 seconds. I'm getting better though, because every time I get found, Erin would teach me a new hiding trick. I planned on practicing the latest one during my fitness training this morning.

Field Medicine was taught by Councilman Green, (who was actually a woman) and it was, surprisingly, my best subject. And it wasn't all using mushrooms and moss the fix wounds, it also teaches you how to use commonly found chemicals to make different medicines. For example, the first thing I learnt was that by mixing glucose, magnesium and calcium, you could stop a wound from becoming infected, and clot the wound, preventing bleeding.

Weapons Training, it is exactly as it sounds. It teaches you to use every weapon known to man, and then some. You start with the bludgeoning weapons, and Sam, who was teaching me this due to him being my master, learnt quickly not to get too close to me while I had a war-hammer or similar weapon in my hands.

Infiltration was just that; infiltrating various places, from hacking computers to picking locks. A fairly straightforward course, if very difficult to do right.

Then there was Ethan's Evasive Driving course. It consisted of Ethan, the driving instructor, firing paintballs at me while I drove around a track. It's my job to avoid them, a tough thing to do, since every Assassin that's been around for more than a year is basically a master marksman.

My reminiscing was cut short by Morty changing from howler monkey to two cats fighting. I jerked my head, looking at the clock hologram that was always floating above the T.V.

It read 4:35. _Better get a move on._

I finished my toast, put my boots on and slipped out the door, Morty's standard "Don't hurt yourself too badly," floating out the door behind me as it clicked shut behind, while a second click indicated that Morty had locked the door behind me. I stepped into the elevator and spoke my desired destination, "Roof please."

There was no vocal response, but the doors closed and the soft rumble of the upward movement commenced. The lift stopped on the fifth floor, and the doors opened, and Kelly walked in, wearing a navy blue one-piece swimsuit.

"First floor please," she said, not looking up from the book she had in her hands.

"You'll have to wait, he was here first," the computer said as the doors closed. Kelly looked up from her book and saw me standing in the corner.

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked, closing her book and tucking it under her arm with the towel.

"Training exercise," I said as the elevator rumbled back into life. It went up for a few more seconds, and then opened at the roof.

"Why are you on the roof?" Kelly asked, stepping out with me into the brisk morning air.

"Well, like I said, training exercise," I replied, stepping over to the edge furthest from the elevator, which overlooked a small lake. I stepped up onto the ledge, and Kelly made a concerned noise.

"You're not going to jump, are you?" she asked.

"It's perfectly safe," I replied, turning to face her, "there's a 90% chance I'll hit the water, and I've done stupider with less."

"But, you know what will happen if you miss, right?" Kelly asked me, sounding seriously concerned.

I responded by turning around and diving forward. Plummeting toward the water in my full gear, wind whistling past my face, I heard Kelly's surprised shout just before I hit the water.

It was freezing, but nothing I hadn't become accustomed to since I had started doing this last week. I sunk about thirty meters, before propelling myself upwards. As I broke the surface, I inhaled deeply. Quickly scanning my surroundings, I pushed forward, heading toward the far bank. After a minute of strenuous swimming, I reached the bank, and hauled myself out of the water. I ran from the lake, stripping off my gear as I went, until I was down to my skin-tight leg warmers, and I kept running into the forest that lay beyond the lake.

I reached the edge of the trees, and immediately dropped to the ground, rolling into the shrubs. I lay there for a moment, waiting for the imaginary enemies to run past. After thirty seconds, I pushed myself up onto my feet, and ran, keeping low and darting around trees and diving over fallen logs. After about a mile, I reached a path through the forest, I turned left and followed it for as long as I could, before hearing an actual sound. I immediately dived to the side and buried myself in the bushes. I stayed low, as the thudding sound of running footsteps neared me. Remembering one of my Stealth lessons, I moved forward two meters and lay still, barely daring to breathe. Looking toward the path, I saw a pair of nicely tanned legs walking quickly down the path. Following the legs down, I noticed this person had bare feet.

_Kelly? She followed me in here?_

This person crouched down and examined something on the ground.

_My tracks._

That was the reason I had moved forward, so that I wasn't laying directly next to the marks I had made when I dropped and rolled. The person crouched lower, and I realised it wasn't Kelly. It was someone I hadn't met yet. Their long blonde hair cascaded down, hiding their face from view. I snuck a look at my watch, careful not to move any of the plants.

_4:50. I need to get a move on._

The person brushed their hair behind their ear, and I drew a sharp breath. I knew this girl.

**A/N: Sorry about the cliff hanger, but I need a reason to keep you guys reading. Anyway, R&R, clip your toenails, feed the cat, blah blah blah. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: In case any of you perverts were wondering (because I know I would be) there shall be no lemons in this story. That being said, James shall not remain a virgin. It shall be implied, even grazed over, but there will be no detail, because I don't want my account deleted. Enjoy.**

I couldn't believe it, there was someone in this place that I knew. I stood up, the girl's eyes darting toward me. She stood up, and muttered to herself, "I can't believe he's here." Then, in a louder voice, she said, "Do you remember me?" She took a step toward me, standing directly in a beam of the rising sun.

I nodded. "I do, you're Chloe, right?" I brushed the leaves from my moderately muscled torso, watching her smile and nod.

"James, isn't it? What are you doing out here?" she continued, looking over my body with a weird sort of look in her eyes. I gave a look over as well.

She was pretty, gorgeous even. Golden hair falling in curls down around her face over her shoulders. Pale gray eyes, which seemed to be locked onto my incoming abs. My eyes continued down, staying slightly longer than they should have on her dark purple tank top, before sliding over her tanned, toned stomach, down to the black fitness shorts she was wearing. Beside those were her wrists, but only one had an object worthy of note.

"You're an Assassin?" I asked, nodding toward the bracer on her left arm. She nodded, tearing her eyes away from my chest and looking at my bracer.

"You are as well, it seems, but you still haven't answered my question; what are you doing out here?" she replied, standing with her weight on one leg, with her right hand on her hip.

"Fitness training, because they somehow couldn't fit it into my schedule," I answered, smiling slightly.

"You look pretty fit to me, and you did pretty well when we met," she said, a seductive smile on her face.

"Oh yeah, that was a disaster of a night," I said, remembering the night at the carnival I had met her.

"It wasn't too bad," Chloe replied, taking a step toward me, "You managed to beat the crap out of a few guys, and I met a hot guy willing to risk his safety to help me. I'd call that a good night." She reached out with her right hand, trailing it lightly over my chest. "I never did thank you for saving me that night," she said, moving even closer. I was about to respond when she pressed her lips to mine, catching me by surprise. After a moment of confusion, I realised that she was trying to deepen the kiss, and as much as I wanted to, I was hit by a sudden bout of colour inversion. Everything went gray, and I pulled back, falling to my knees and holding my head in my hands. I looked up, to see the beautifully concerned face of Chloe kneeling down in front of me, holding my chin in her hand. She was completely blue, and I suddenly realised what was happening to me.

_And knowing is half the battle, so if I know what's happening to me, I can fight it._

I concentrated, Chloe still crouching before me, I looked at her, and everything went back to normal. I stood up slowly.

"What just happened?" she asked me, putting a hand on my shoulder and looking into my eyes.

"I'm still not 100% on that, but I need to see Councilman Gold." I replied, and immediately ran off along the path, heading back to the Academy. As I reached the end of the path, I saw Kelly standing there, holding my clothes in a massive bunch in her arms.

"You're insane, you know that?" She said to me as I approached. I took the clothes from her.

"All the best people are," I replied, grinning. I quickly pulled on my gear and kept moving, with Kelly beside me.

"Where are you off to in such a rush?" she asked, jogging slightly to keep up with me.

"I'm going to see Gold," I said, not breaking my stride.

"Why is it so important that you disturb him at five in the morning?"

I didn't answer, I just kept moving. Kelly got halfway to the Council's building before she finally stopped.

"I've gotta go James, there's a different recruit I've got to babysit."

I smiled at the joke. "See you later then," I said, turning to her and giving her a hug.

She waved goodbye, and walked off toward the cafeteria, which was the first floor of the dorms building. I continued to the Council building, which was all closed up. But outside stood the very person I wanted to see.

"Councilman," I called out, moving slightly faster to reach him. He turned, his hood swinging slightly as he stopped.

"James," he replied, "Good morning. What can I do for you?"

I took a breath, "I think I may have figured out what is happening to me, the reason I could tell where Councilman Gray was."

"Ahh yes, that. I have come up with no viable theories, but then again, it's not my head." He chuckled, "What do you think?"

"Eagle Vision." I said simply. Gold stood there, the echo of his chuckle dying in his throat.

"Eagle Vision," he said after a moment, "was a rumour that was started due to Altair's incredible abilities. There is no absolute proof that it even existed. We only put it in the games because it was there to help the player."

I nodded, showing my understanding. "But it's the only explanation," I said, "You yourself said you had no theories."

Gold shook his head.

"I said I had no VIABLE theories. I did think of Eagle Vision. As soon as you told me what was happening, but it is impossible." He said, beginning to walk off.

"So are a lot of things around here," I retorted, causing him to turn around. I continued, "I mean, let's face it, how plausible is it that you can close a wound with glucose and calcium? And for that matter, what about the Artificial Intelligence that's actually intelligent? What is so far-fetched about me having Eagle Vision?" I finished; my arms out almost pleadingly, waiting for a response. Knowing I wouldn't get one, I did something drastic. I walked over to Councilman Gold and put my hand on his head, activating my ability as I did so, willing him to see what I saw. And from the look of utter astonishment on his face, I'd say it worked.

"Eagle Vision," he muttered, looking around. I removed my hand from his head, and everything went back to normal. The headache I received was worse than usual, but it was well worth it.

"I think," Gold said slowly, "we should talk about this later tonight. After your final class, which is at…?"

"It finishes at six," I said.

"Then I will see you here at seven. Don't be late." And with that, Gold walked off, leaving me alone in silence, until a rumbling noise filled the air around me. My stomach was growling.

_Time to get some food in me._

I walked off to the cafeteria, hoping that there were still some pancakes left, because, despite this place being full of teenagers, the majority of them are up by now.

**A/N: In case any of you didn't notice, Chloe is the girl from my revised chapter 1, and yes, there is a reason she is so… forward, I'm just not sure what it is yet. So, R&R, because remember, 9 out of 10 dentists recommend Zizzimz. Also, a revised Chapter 2 is now up, please review it for me. It would be helpful to your understanding of the chapter if you re-read Chapter 1 beforehand though.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am now going to rush this story slightly, so that I can finish it and get started on my Supernatural fic. That does not mean that the chapters will be any shorter, or any less awesome, it just means there will be a lot of chapters in a short amount of time. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, which has a MASSIVE time skip, because no-one wants to read about language classes for a full chapter. This gets right to the good part.**

"James, wait up," Kelly yelled after me, jogging to catch up.

I turned around; looking up from the schedule I had been studying. I smiled as she reached me, and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"Hey, welcome back," I said, releasing her, "how was your survival trip?"

"Cold," she said, "I didn't feel warm until I was back in my shower."

I shrugged. "That was to be expected, you were in Siberia for six months."

She smiled, and we walked together for a few moments in silence, enjoying being back in each other's company for the first time in six months. I looked at my schedule again, silently panicking.

"What's that?" Kelly asked, looking at the piece of paper in my hands. I handed it to her, and she made a shocked sound.

"You've been here for seven months, and you're already eligible for a Rank 4 test?"

I just smiled at her.

"Yeah, they made me an offer, and I couldn't refuse." I told her, taking back the paper.

She just stared at me, waiting for me to elaborate.

I sighed. "If I successfully get to Rank 4 before I've been here a year, I get to go home, because apparently my death wasn't faked. Everyone thinks I've just gone to some snooty prep school."

Kelly laughed. "So, what's your first test?" she asked.

"It was field medicine, but I had that a week ago. I'm about to do my final test; combat." I told her, pointing toward my destination, The Pit.

"Who are you up against?" Kelly asked, trying to get a peek at the schedule in my hand.

I shook my head. "No idea, it doesn't say." I continued walking to The Pit, with Kelly walking away to find a seat.

_It looks like the entire Academy has come out to watch. Must a great opponent I'm up against._

I descended the steps to the rim of the Pit, and jumped in. I walked to the centre, and slowly spun around, looking for who would be my opponent. After five minutes, every seat in the stands was filled, but no-one had entered the Pit to challenge me. I began to get impatient, but figured this had to be part of the test; otherwise I would have already had an opponent. The crowd began to get fidgety, getting very raucous.

I sat on the ground, and closed my eyes. Then I realised what I had to do on this test. I opened my eyes, and saw the world in the familiar colour scheme of my Eagle Vision. I scanned the crowd, looking for a red outline. I saw it, but I was unable to determine their identity. I stood up, and walked slowly over, returning the world to its natural colours as I did so. I focused my sight, a trick I had learnt a week after Gold had devised a training system for honing my gift. My eyes zoomed in, and I saw my opponent.

_Karen._

I pointed to her. She smiled, but it wasn't a friendly smile. It was more of a 'I'm going to make you wish you had never been born' smile. She rose, and walked into the Pit, taking her place at the outer edge. I walked to the spot opposite her, and we stared each other down. Having done this twice before, I knew what was about to happen. And here it comes.

"You know the drill," Sam said as he approached, opening the weapons case he was holding.

I looked at the contents, and picked out two daggers, slipping one of them into the back of my belt, and holding the other in my right hand. I looked over, and saw Karen holding a hand-and-a-half sword. She removed her shirt, standing there in just a sports bra. I looked at her arm, and saw the scar that I had made when I had shot her with the crossbow. We both looked at each other; I was trying to figure out how best to take her down, while she was obviously trying to make me spontaneously combust with just her eyes. I looked over to where the Council were sitting. Councilman Black stood up, and stepped forward.

"The rules are as follows," he said in a deep, authoritative voice, "the battle is not over until one of the combatants yields. Death blows are forbidden," as he said this, his eyes focused on Karen, who was obviously put out by the idea of not being allowed to kill me. Black continued, "However, if a combatant should be unable to continue due to their injuries, the opponent shall be declared victor. Now, let the fight commence." He retook his seat, motioning for us to begin.

Karen launched forward, catching me slightly off guard. She swung her sword low and from the right, obviously trying to incapacitate me. I dropped to one knee, blocking her sword with my left bracer. I forced my dagger up through the air, trying to pierce her shoulder. She spun away from the attack, and my dagger merely scratched her, drawing only a few drop of blood. As her blade left me arm, I stood, and swung my knife at her. She back-stepped, which gave me time to pivot the dagger in my hand, holding it in a reverse grip. Karen lunged toward me, obviously getting sloppy with her technique. I grabbed her arm with my left hand, and pinned it against my side with my right arm. I brought my elbow back with ferocious speed, bringing it cracking into her nose, which gave way. She jerked back as her nose broke, releasing her sword as she did so. It fell to the ground, a cloud of dust rising as it hit the ground. I kicked it away, and rounded on Karen. She was holding a dagger.

I checked my back and found my second dagger missing. Well, not missing. It was flying through the air toward me, straight out of Karen's outstretched arm. I panicked. Punishing a death blow is pointless after it's already been inflicted, and this flying dagger was going straight for my head.

Something took over at this point, and my right hand flew faster than I could ever make it consciously. It dropped my knife, and went straight up into the path of the dagger, and gabbed it by the point, its momentum carrying it backward, but my hand guided it around my head, and I flung it back the way it had come. The look of panicked surprise on Karen's face was indescribable, and it didn't dissipate when the knife wedged itself in her shoulder. She staggered back, and I dropped to my knee, grabbing my first dagger from the ground, and throwing it at Karen's other shoulder, where it promptly buried itself, causing her to collapse backward, falling flat on her back, yelling in pain, screaming many profanities, but 'yield' was not one of them. I quickly walked over to where the sword had stopped, and I picked it up. I walked over to Karen, and placed the tip of it upon her throat.

"Say it," I said, looking down at her, pouring every drop of malice I could into those two words.

There was a look of complete contempt on Karen's face. "Yield." She spat the word at me, and was promptly carried away by a medical team. I walked to the centre of the Pit and faced the Council, my hands respectfully held behind my back. I waited patiently as the Council chatted amongst themselves, the entire crowd silent, trying to catch a stray word.

Finally, Councilman Black arose from his seat. The crowd snapped to attention.

"The Council," Black began, than he paused.

_He is a master of suspense._

Black continued. "Has decided that your performance in this task was exemplary. This, combined with the very commendable scores of your previous tasks, has led us to conclude that you are not going to proceed to Rank 4."

The crowd roared in anger, but I sensed something was coming, and stayed quiet. As the crowd quietened, Black recommenced speaking.

"Due to the extraordinary scores you have achieved on all components of this exam, the Council has decided to give you a probationary Rank 5. Report to the Council building this afternoon for further instructions." With that, each member of the Council rose, and left, leaving the crowd to cheer wildly for me.

I couldn't help but smile.

_I suppose I could play it up, just a little._

I smiled. I couldn't help it.

"Were you not entertained?" I yelled to the crowd, who responded with even louder cheering.

I climbed out of the Pit, and was immediately surrounded by my peers. I walked out of the Pit with my arms above my head, feeling extremely elated. I excused myself from the mass of Assassins, and headed over to the dorms. I entered the elevator, and it immediately rumbled to life. I just took it as the elevator being moody, as it so often was. It opened on my floor, and I exited, and walked down the hall to my room. I found my door open slightly, which I found very peculiar. I opened the door fully and walked inside. Imagine my surprise when I found Kelly sitting there on my bed. I closed the door behind me.

"Congratulations," she said, patting the spot beside her.

"Thanks," I responded, sitting down. That was all that was said between us, as the effect of six months of separation took its toll, and our lips collided. I lay her down, our lips never separating.

**A/N: Thank you all for reading this chapter, which was written over the course of one day, while watching the original Pink Panther series. Please R&R, as I am plagued with self-doubt about the ending. See you all next time. The next chapter should be up within the next couple of days.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I really have nothing to say in this A/N, but it feels weird not having one. Enjoy.**

"That was incredible," Kelly said, snuggling closer to me. I couldn't help but agree. It had been an amazing hour. I had by no means been a virgin, but that was the best time I had ever had.

"I thought it was awkward, myself," Morty spoke up, successfully killing the moment.

"And I'm done," Kelly said, rolling away from me and searching for her underwear.

"Thanks a lot Morty," I said, "why did you have to interrupt?" I was getting pissed at this point.

Morty sounded amused. "Because you are supposed to meet the Council in twenty minutes, and I am telling you now so that you have time to shower and dress, because no-one has ever seen the Council immediately after… doing what you've done."

I groaned.

"He's right, you need to get ready," Kelly said, "so go and have a shower, and I'll go back to my room and do the same. I'll see you in the cafeteria after your meeting." She kissed my cheek and left the bed, gathering up her clothes.

I groaned again, and left the bed, grabbing a towel and heading for the shower. I heard the door close, and knew Kelly had left, so I took this chance to have a talk with Morty about boundaries.

"Morty, I need to have a word with you." I said, turning on the water, "Since you are bound to serve me, as you said so yourself, I want to lay down a few ground rules."

"I know what you're going to say," Morty interrupted, "and I promise that I won't speak up while Kelly is naked again."

I shook my head. "Not good enough. You are not to speak while someone else is in the room unless I say you can, or remaining silent would endanger my life." After a moment's thought, I added, "And you are to mention nothing of what you see in this room to anyone without my permission, and you are to ask for my permission discretely. Is that understood?"

A holographic hand did a mock salute, indicating his understanding. With that sorted, I remained quiet and enjoyed my shower.

Fifteen minutes later, I was walking over to the Council building. I knocked on the door when I arrived, and waited a few moments. Then the door opened, and I walked inside. As usual, it was pitch black, with just a lone spotlight in the centre of the room. I walked into it.

"State your name," came the familiar friendly tone of Councilman Green.

"James Rogers," I said clearly. A second spotlight was turned on, focused on an area a few feet in front of me. In the light was a table, with only a file on it. I walked up to the table and picked up the file. The spotlight was extinguished and I moved back to the original circle of light.

"In that folder are the parameters of your mission," Gray's voice said, booming out of the darkness, "No-one else is to look at that file, and once you have studied it thoroughly, you are to return it to this Council. If there are no questions, you are dismissed."

Another spotlight was activated now, focused on the door. I bowed politely, and quickly walked to the door. As soon as I was out, I headed straight for my room. As I walked in the elevator, I activated my bracer, and a holographic display came up. I tapped in a command to send Kelly a message.

**Got assignment, will not be coming down to eat. Talk later. – J.**

The elevator opened on my floor, and I walked out, a casual 'thanks' being said as I left. I walked down the hallway, opened my door, went in and closed it, where it locked behind me. I was then immediately assaulted by an Iron Man suit.

"What the hell is going on, Morty?" I yelled as the suit assembled around me, preventing any movement.

"I don't like being ordered around, James," the AI said, sounding very pissed, "I mean, did you really think I would be stupid enough to tell anyone that you and miss Masterson were in here bumping uglies for a solid hour?" This was painfully reminiscent of when my father had walked in on me with my girlfriend after my first time. Morty continued, slightly calmer, "There is no need to give me those boundaries. If you don't want me to tell anyone, just ask. The opposite applies as well, but I think that scenario will never arrive. Now I'm going to let you out. Don't dismantle my motherboard." And with that, the suit opened at the front, and I went tumbling out, barely managing to keep my balance. I picked the file up from where it had fallen, and went and sat at my desk. Opening the folder, I found only on page, with a couple of lines of writing on it.

**Your mission is this; you are to go back to your previous life, and be a normal child. Should  
anything happen that requires your intervention through Assassin means, you are to immediately  
contact the Brotherhood, or have your AI deal with the problem in the IM suit that will be  
accompanying you. That is all.**

"IM suit?" I asked Morty, and was answered by the floating hand of the Iron Man suit waving at me. "Right, should've known."

"Better pack," Morty said, back to his usual vocal tones, "I was just sent a message that your ride is leaving in an hour."

I closed the file, and went to the closet, pulling out one of the suitcases on the bottom.

"Morty, could you send a message to Kelly telling her to come up here please. Oh and unlock one of the desk drawers as well. Thanks." I left the suitcase on the ground and went back to the desk, fully opening the drawer that Morty had unlocked. I slid the file inside, and closed it again, where an electronic CLICK told me it had locked.

"Don't let me forget about that," I told Morty, lifting the suitcase from the ground and placing it on the bed. I opened it up, to find the bottom a good 2 inches higher than it should have been. Activating Eagle Vision, I saw that under the false bottom was an entire survival kit, complete with gun, machete, and what looked like $20 000 Australian.

Promising myself I wouldn't touch it, I began to fill the case with civilian clothes. When I was closing up the case, the door opened and Kelly walked in. She flung her arms around me.

"When are you leaving?" she asked, pulling back a bit, but not enough for her to let go of me.

I looked at the floating numbers, "My ride leaves in about half an hour, but I get the feeling they want me there early." And with that, I leaned in and stopped Kelly from speaking. After about thirty seconds, Morty made a sound similar to that of an uncomfortable friend clearing their throat. Kelly and I separated, she was blushing slightly. We stood like that for another few moments, when Morty 'cleared his throat' again. "They want you in the hangar, now."

I thanked him, and gave Kelly another kiss. With all the effort I wanted to muster, I broke free of Kelly's hold and grabbed my suitcase. "I'll see you later," I said, both of us heading out the door. Walking down the hallway, I left Kelly at the elevator, and headed for the express one that only took you to the hangar in the basement. I called for it as Kelly disappeared into her elevator. There was a DING as the doors opened, and I walked inside. The doors closed and the elevator rumbled down the shaft at a worrying pace. After ten seconds, the rumbling stopped, the doors opened, and I was face to face with someone I was very familiar with.

"Sam," I said, extremely surprised, "what are you doing here?"

"You didn't think they would send you off on a mission alone, did you? I'm here to make sure you survive."

Councilman Gold walked over. "Sam will be disguised as a new teacher. You will most likely have minimal interaction with him, but go to him if you need help with anything. Now give me your bracer." He held out his hand, and I pulled my bracer off, handing it to him. He tucked it into his robes, and pulled out a different one. "This is a different bracer than you are used to. It still does everything your old one did," he patted where he had tucked the old blade, "but it does some other things as well. For one, this bracer can, and is currently, housing an AI. Specifically, your AI, Morty. Also, in the event of an emergency, this will immediately cloak you in Assassin robes, fully armed. And no, I have no idea how it works." He added with a smile when he saw me open my mouth.

"Right then," Sam said as I put my bracer on, where it immediately went invisible, "shall we go?"

I nodded, picking up my suitcase and heading for the plane, Sam in front of me, pulling a comic book out of his bag as he went.

**A/N: So, what do you think? Please R&R, because my plan for this story ended about three chapters ago, and I'm just writing as it comes to me. I have a small idea of where I want it to go from here, and how I want it to end, but nothing is set in stone, (except for all that stuff that is literally set in stone). See you all next time.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello again everyone, and welcome to Chapter 14. I hope you enjoy this piece of literary make-believe.**

"So anyway, when we land, there's some stuff I need to do at the school. You go straight to the house and start unpacking. Make sure you upload Morty into the system so he gets a chance to stretch his legs… metaphorically." Sam said as the seatbelt lights came on. I nodded wearily. For the entire trip, Sam had been giving me advice about the mission, and some of it was extremely obvious. My favourite so far was "Don't kill your classmates because they're not as smart as you".

The plane came to a standstill in the air, and then it began to descend. There was a soft thud as the wheels touched the ground. The seatbelt light was deactivated, and Sam and I stood up. I grabbed my bag, and Sam grabbed his, and we exited down the stairs. I looked around, and, after a moment's thought, I remembered where we were.

A car pulled up before I could say anything, and Sam ushered me inside. He went to the back of the car and put his bag inside. He then went to the other car that had pulled up after my one, and got in the back seat. Both cars then pulled off. I was a little nervous, but mainly because this was my first mission. Every loose end from my previous life had been tied. My old family had been relocated, and were warned to never try to contact me, and the same warning was issued to my relatives. As far as my friends were aware, I had spent the last few months in a very expensive private school, and I could make up whatever I wanted to about it, because there was no way any of them would ever look for it. The only other real worry was that someone would mention the body that had caused me to disappear in the first place.

_My first kill._

I remembered my first month at the Academy. That kill kept me up at night, but after a couple of weeks, I came to terms with it. I had ended a few lives after that in the following months, as part of my training, and the exams, and while I didn't find it pleasing, it was by no means difficult to take a life.

After about ten minutes of my reminiscing, I realized where we were. Only seven months ago, I had ridden my motorbike down this very street, trying to escape the person that I had killed at the school. I was moving back into my old house, which had been modified slightly to accommodate the AI that would inhabit it, as well as all the weapons that would be hidden around the place.

The car pulled into the driveway, and I exited it. I looked around at the neighbours, and recognised none of them. The Assassins were very thorough. I pulled my bag out of the trunk, and then I grabbed Sam's. I walked with them up the last couple of meters to the front door, which was opened as I approached by the driver.

"Stay inside until the other one shows up," he said to me, and with that he closed the door. I heard the lock click, and footsteps walking back to the car.

"Alright Morty, where do I plug you in?" I said to the air, putting the bags down and walking slowly around.

"Try the kitchen," Morty said, sounding as though he had no idea either. I walked into the kitchen, and used my gift, which had yet to fail me. I saw a faint gold glow behind on of the upper cupboard doors. Maintaining Eagle Vision, I opened the cupboard, and moved all of the pots and pans aside, and found a small opening in the wall. Barely a crack. I extended my blade, and inserted it into the wall. After a moment, Morty's voice sounded through the air around me.

"Ahh that's better. Room to run around."

I smirked to myself as I pulled the blade from the wall, sheathing it with a flex of my hand. I went and retrieved the bags, and walked down the hallway, opening doors and trying to decide which room I would take. In the end, I decided on the second largest one at the back of the house. It had been my sisters, before she moved in with her boyfriend. Inside was a double bed, a plain wooden desk, and a wardrobe built into the wall. I dumped my suitcase on the bed, and activated Eagle Vision. Scanning the room, I found a small arsenal of hidden weapons.

There was a handgun hidden in the top drawer of the desk, a machete taped to the underside of the desk, a shotgun under the bed, throwing knives built into the headboard, and a multitude of weapons in the closet, presumably hidden behind a false wall.

I walked out of my room and into the room next to it, which had been my parents. It was similarly decorated, though with a door leading to the bathroom en-suite. Using my Vision, I looked around and found the room armed in much the same fashion, though with a couple of extra guns in the bathroom.

Walking back to the living room, I found a PS3, an xBox 360 and a moderately large T.V.

"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Morty asked, as I sat down on the three seater lounge.

"Yeah, it's basically an Assassin room spread out over an entire house, though with everything slightly crappier." I replied, looking around for a remote, which I found on the other side of the room. I groaned.

"Morty," I asked, putting on a falsely sweet voice, "Could you please turn the T.V on for me?"

There was a pause, and then the T.V started. I thanked Morty, and settled back to watch some garbage T.V until Sam got back.

I awoke a couple of hours later to the sound of the door closing. Careful not to make any noise, I got up off the lounge and snuck over to where the sound was coming from. I stood around the corner, ready to defend myself, but Morty's voice chimed out from the hidden speakers.

"It's Sam, you paranoid moron, don't kill him."

I stepped around the corner, looking at a haggard looking Sam walking away from the door.

"Which rooms mine?" he asked, suppressing a yawn.

"Last on the left," I said, pointing down the hall. Sam nodded his thanks and went down the hall. I looked at the clock, and saw it was 11 pm. I yawned myself, and followed Sam down the hall to my room, where I promptly fell on the bed and dozed off, leaving Morty to turn the T.V off, and keep watch on the house.

I awoke a few hours later, more due to habit than anything else. I looked at the digital alarm clock next to my bed, and gave a sleepy moan. It was six in the morning, and I had school today. I got out of bed, and turned on my Eagle Vision, looking around for Sam, who I found in the kitchen. I walked out my room and down the hall.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked as I entered, looking over at the stove, where I could hear bacon sizzling.

"Whatever you can make," Sam replied, scooping all the bacon from the pan and putting it on the plate with his scrambled eggs. I opened the cupboard, and was bombarded by a whole lot of nothing. There was a loaf of bread, a small carton of soy milk, and a tin of fruit. I closed the pantry.

I walked across the kitchen, and opened the fridge. I found nothing at all. I looked over at Sam, who was tucking into his meal with a smile on his face. He nodded toward the far bench, and I saw something that made me feel like an idiot. There was a cooler sitting there. I opened it up and found a carton of eggs, some raw bacon, half a dozen sausages, some apples, oranges, and a tub of vanilla yogurt. I reached in to the cooler, aiming for an apple, before I heard Sam clear his throat.

"That is the food I was smart enough to bring with me before I go shopping this afternoon. If you want something, go buy it." Sam said from the table, an obvious smugness in his voice.

"Fine, I think I will," I said, picking up from the bench a debit card with my name on it. I went back to my room and opened my suitcase. I pulled out a shirt and a pair of shorts, and put them on. I grabbed my sneakers from where I had left them the previous day, and grabbed my wallet from the desk, tucking my card into as I left the room. I went down the hall, putting on my shoes as I did. When I reached the end of the hall, something was thrown at me. I caught it.

"So you look like a normal teenager," Sam said, scraping up the last bits of his eggs. I examined the iPhone in front of me. I turned it on, and a number appeared on the screen, which I quickly memorized, because what good is a phone without a phone number. After spending five minutes setting up the basics, I passed the phone to Sam, who input his number. I pocketed the phone and headed out the door.

"Remember," Sam called after me, "you can't spend more than $500 in a day."

I jogged off at that point, heading for the small shopping complex that lay a couple of blocks away. As I left my street, I found myself no longer alone. There were quite a few other people jogging at this time, and I vaguely recognised a couple of them. I followed them to the corner, and then I went left when they went right.

Down a hill, around another corner, and through a car park and I had arrived at the 24 hour bakery. I opened the door, and was greeted by a friendly and familiar face.

"Hey there, what can I get for you this morning?" asked Emma. There was a moment where we just looked at each other, and then I shook my head.

"Sorry, still a bit tired," I said, "I'll have one of your salad rolls, thanks,"

She smiled at me as she grabbed a roll and a knife and went to the cutting board near the register. She sliced the bread and began putting the things on. She finished, wrapped the roll and walked the last step to the register.

"That'll be $4.80," she said, holding out her hand. I handed her the card.

"Credit or savings?" she asked, running the card through the machine.

I responded with the latter. She handed me the device to input my pin. I mentally slapped myself.

"One sec," I said, pulling out my phone. I went to messages and sent one to Sam.

**What's the pin?**

I laughed with Emma about the whole incident. My phone chimed as I got a reply.

**The first four numbers you put in.**

I shrugged and tapped in four random numbers.

_8, 2, 5, 3._

There was a small ding as it accepted the code. As the money was being processed, Emma spoke up. "I'm probably way off, but you look familiar. Have we met?"

I smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I'm James. I used to go to your school,"

Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Yeah, I remember now. You just disappeared one day. What happened?"

"I got sent to some snobby private school in Sydney." I replied, hoping for no follow up questions.

"Right, so, are you coming back to us?" she asked, with a small amount of hope in her voice. I nodded, and she beamed. "Great, I kind of missed you, after you disappeared. You were always so nice and funny and…" she trailed off. There was an awkward silence, til I thought of something.

"How come you're working at 6 in the morning on a school day?" I asked, sounding puzzled.

"Umm, since when is a Sunday a school day?" she replied, obviously amused. I pulled out my phone and looked at the date.

**1/1/2005.**

"Well that's not right," I said, heading to pocket the phone again, but Emma held out her hand, and I gave it to her. After a few moments of tapping, she handed it back to me. I looked at it, and it had the correct time and date. Unlocking it, I saw her number now saved. Neither of us had noticed that the receipt had come up.

Emma looked down, and handed me the bit of paper.

"If you want, we could hang out after I finish. Meet me here at 11?" she asked, sounding obviously hopeful.

I smiled. "I'll see you then," I said, picking up the roll and pocketing the docket. I walked out the door, waving as it shut, and I jogged off, feeling very happy that I had re-made a friend already.

**A/N: Would you look at the size of this chapter. And to think, I did all this, me, the world's biggest procrastinator, did this in a single day. Just think what I could do if I devoted myself to my studies like this. Anyway, R&R, and don't comment on the obvious flirting that was going on, *cue bad French accent* I have a plan. Since I have school starting the day after tomorrow, and three assignments to do before then, I probably won't be able to update the next chapter for a couple of days, but bear with me, considering I have given you like three chapters in 4 days. See you next time.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello everyone. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Now, I've had a couple of questions from BETAs about my plan for this story, and I have just this to say. I have no plan, I have a thing, it's like plan, but with more greatness. On with the show.**

Walking in the front door, I noticed that Sam was no longer sitting at the table. I called out, and his voice responded from down the hall. I went to the table and unwrapped the roll, now slightly unevenly spread, and tucked in, marvelling at how good things tasted when they weren't mass produced for a group of athletic teenagers. Sam walked down the hall, bringing with him a kettle and a clear bag filled with brown beans.

"Want some coffee?" Sam asked, filling the kettle at the tap.

"Will I have to go out and buy it?" I asked sarcastically, finishing the last of my breakfast. Sam laughed, shaking his head.

"So that's a yes?" he asked me, and I shook my head.

"I don't drink coffee," I replied, scrunching up the wrapper and tossing it into the nearby bin. I walked down the hall, checking my watch as I went.

_6:48. Hmm, I reckon it's time to really wake up._

I stopped midway down the hall and opened the door, seeing the home gym that had been put in my old room. Closing the door, I told Morty to keep the clock up, and went over to the treadmill. Turning it on high, I started to run. I ran for the best part of an hour. When the holographic clock above the door read 7:30, I turned off the treadmill, and walked over to the dumbbells. Putting 20 pound weights on each side, I proceeded to lift sets of ten. I did this for twenty minutes, at which point I thought my arms would drop off. I raised myself up and went to the door, which opened with Morty's intervention, who was, thankfully, taking pity on me. I went straight to my room and pulled out the emergency medical kit from my bag. I opened it, and found the premade muscle relaxant that Green had taught me. I pulled the lid off of the jar and scooped some of the mixture out. It was fluorescent green and smelled like vodka. It was made up of ethanol, copper, and carbon dioxide.

I lathered it over my arms, and left it for a moment. I walked out of my room and into the bathroom, where I promptly began to wash off the salve. When it was completely removed, I flexed my arms, feeling better already.

I locked the door and started stripping down, starting the shower when I was completely bare.

Walking out of the bathroom ten minutes later, towel wrapped around my waist, I heard Sam calling for me from the living room. I walked out, using my hand to ensure my modesty stayed covered. Sam was standing near the T.V, where a middle-aged man was giving an interview about a new school security force.

"Our new principal," Sam explained, "is implementing a new security force to ensure the safety of his students." I waited for him to continue. "He is also our target. But we are not to kill him until we have a clear idea on just how many Templars have infiltrated the school. That's where you come in."

I thought for a moment. "So I was sent here for another reason than to finish my childhood."

"Starting to realise that there's always another reason, are you?" Sam said turning away from the T.V as Morty turned it off. I nodded, and turned around, heading back down the hall, dropping the towel as soon as my door shut behind me. I opened the bag on my bed and fished through it for a pair of boxers, jeans and a t-shirt. After dressing, I thought for a moment, and pulled on my leather jacket. I rolled up the sleeve and slipped my bracer on, then pushed my sleeve back down; making sure that the blade was hidden whichever way I moved. I checked my watch, and seeing that it was now 8:10, I walked back out to the living room, where Sam was now watching cartoons in French.

"I'm heading out," I said, looking over the keys on the bench for my bike.

"Prenez la R8, il a besoin de gaz," Sam replied in flawless French, not looking away from the T.V. I made a confused sound, and he translated for me. "Take the R8, it needs gas."

I nodded to myself, grabbed the keys with the Audi logo, and walked out into the extremely spacious garage, filled with vehicles on a turntable. I turned to the panel beside the door and selected the Audi from the list. The turntable rotated until the silver R8 had an unobstructed path to the garage door. I walked over and opened the car door, sitting in the luxurious driver's seat and starting the engine. It roared to life, the garage door opened, and I drove out, going straight to the gas-station, which was straight across from the bakery where I would be meeting Emma in a couple of hours. I pulled up, and was almost immediately surrounded by teenage girls in bikinis with surfboards and a VW Kombi at the next pump.

"Nice ride," said the tall blonde, "what does a girl have to do to get a ride in that?" The other three girls giggled, and the brunette brushed her hair out of her face.

I gave a friendly smile, "It's easier than you think; all you've gotta do is tell me why you deserve it."

There was a quiet pause, then, "Because I'll make it worth your while," came a suggestive voice.

"Try again," I replied, getting out of my seat. There was another pause.

_I don't think she's used to being told no._

I closed the door and locked the car, popping the fuel cap and starting to fill it up. The girls were now muttering amongst themselves, occasionally looking in my direction, then looking back. This continued for a moment, until the pump stopped. I pulled it out and replaced the cap, heading into the store to pay. I ran my card, and left, heading back to where the four girls were now getting into their van, the blonde in the driver's seat. They pulled away from the station and drove into the flow of traffic, causing various cars to swerve in order to avoid them.

_That was reckless. Anyway, I suppose I had better get a look at where I'm going to be spending the majority of my time._

I took the familiar road to down to my school, trying to see if there had been any major developments. I turned off at the appropriate point, and was seriously surprised to see a road block in front of me. There were no guards, so I turned around and parked in one of the side streets. I got out and ran back to the road block, looking around for any sign of security. I found none, but it didn't hurt to be cautious anyway. I kept to the trees surrounding the school, and I looked around.

So far as I could tell, there had been no major developments to the infrastructure, but Eagle Vision revealed multiple life-signs underneath the school indicating that there was an underground tunnel system. I looked at my watch.

_9:40. Should probably go back now._

I turned around and started heading back to the car. I hadn't gotten far when I was forced to drop to the ground. There was a small convoy of cars coming down the road, going directly to the school. Using my gift, I wasn't surprised to see them all show up red. After they passed, I ran, low and quiet, back past the road block. When I reached my car, I pulled out my phone and sent Sam a message.

**Need to talk, meet at house. – J.**

I got in the car and backed out of the alley, heading back down the road to the freeway. I drove straight back to the house, pulling up in the driveway. I threw open the door and rushed into the house, to see Sam standing against the opposite wall.

"What did you find?" he asked, stepping forward.

"Templars," I replied, "A lot of them,"

Sam looked thoughtful, nodding slowly. "Where did you see them?"

"There was a convoy heading to the school, which now has some sort of underground system. Did you find out anything about that while you were there?"

Sam shook his head, looking at the ground. "No, they didn't mention anything about that." He shook his head again, looking up, "Anyway, there's no point worrying about that at the moment, there are other things we need to do."

"Like..?" I inquired.

"Getting you ready for your date. And before you ask, I'm an Assassin, that's how I knew." He replied, a massive smile on his face.

"I think I'll be fine," I said, checking the time, which was now 10:30.

"Oh, I'm sure you will be, I just need to set some general rules. First, the obvious one; no Assassin stuff. Second, give me or Morty warning if you're going to bring her back here, at least ten minutes. And third, under no circumstances are you to sleep with her."

I listened to the conditions, and when it reached the last one, I spoke up. "Wait, why can't I sleep with her? That is what couples do, they… copulate… eventually."

"Yes, and I'm saying you can't, because it will make it that much harder to leave when the job is done. I'd say don't date at all, but I know that's not going to work, so I'm limiting it."

I saw the reason behind this, and, as much as I trusted him and his judgement, I couldn't help but feel that this had a different motive altogether. But I nodded, and he gestured out the door. I left, walked back to my car, which had locked itself, unlocked it and got in. I backed out of the driveway and headed back to the bakery. When I reached it, it was 10:55, and I could see Emma through the window finishing up her shift. I got out of the car and leant against the hood, waiting for her to come out. Just as she was putting everything away, a group of four guys walked into the bakery. My immediate instinct was that they were trouble, and Eagle Vision did nothing to alleviate my fears. They were red, and all of them had guns. I pulled out my phone and called Sam. He picked up immediately.

"There are gunmen in the bakery, and I think they're there to kill, get here now." I said, and I hung up the phone. Thinking I could buy a little time, I walked into the bakery, completely nonchalant. Four handguns were immediately pointing in my direction. The worst part about this was that I knew these four guys, they were students at the school. It looked like the Templars had got to them. The look of shock and panic on Emma's face was genuine, and she appeared to be helpless. Knowing Sam wouldn't be able to show up without blowing his own cover, and Morty wouldn't be able to come down here in the suit and blow them all up, I did the only thing I could.

I stepped toward the closest one, twisting the gun out of his hand with my right and my left flew up and buried the now-exposed blade in his throat. He became a dead weight, which immediately dropped to the ground, and before the others could react, I had brought the gun up and fired three sequential shots, each one piercing a different head. I pulled back my sleeve and pressed the button on my bracer, bringing up the holographic display. I tapped in a command for an EMP, and off it went, knowing it would wipe the camera footage. I tucked the gun into the back of my pants.

"We need to go," I said to Emma, who looked like she had just come out of a dream, "now."

The urgency in my voice seemed to spur her into action and she quickly walked around the counter. I opened the door and we walked out. We went straight to my car, and drove rather recklessly back to the house. Backing up the driveway, I parked on the turntable in the garage. The garage door closed as I left the car, running around it to help Emma, who seemed to have collapsed in shock. Hoisting her into the bridal position, I carried her into the house, where Sam had prepared the couch for any possibility. I placed her on it and relaxed a little.

"She's in shock, I think," I told him, and after a quick examination, he confirmed my diagnosis.

"Security footage?" Sam asked, sitting on the edge of the couch.

"I set off an EMP before I left, wiping the tapes and preventing anything from tracking us," I replied, still standing in the middle of the room.

"Well, considering the circumstances," Sam said, "you did quite well. What did you do with the bodies?"

"Nothing," I replied, "I was too busy ensuring Emma got somewhere secure."

"Alright, I'll take the truck and get them, you wait here, and if she wakes up, stall until I get back. I need to figure out what the hell we're going to say to her." And with that, Sam grabbed a set of keys and walked through the door, beyond which I could hear the turntable turning. There was a moment of silence, then a door closed, an engine started, and the garage opened, before closing a moment later.

_Great, I can't even keep my cover for a day. I am in some serious shit now._

**A/N: Thank you all for your patience with this chapter. First week of school is a bitch. The reason I decided against the date is because you guys deserve some action. R&R, and I'll see you next time.**


	16. Chapter 16

Emma jolted awake, scanning the room frantically. Her eyes skated over me, sitting on the arm rest of a recliner in the corner, and then darted back.

"Where am I?" she asked, clearly scared out of her mind.

"Safe," I said, rising from the seat. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?" I offered, gesturing toward the kitchen. She shook her head, and I kept walking, intending to get a glass of water from the tap. I heard the couch creak and her footsteps on the wooden floors. I turned around, to see Emma trying desperately to open the door.

"It won't open," I told her, opening a cupboard and fetching a glass.

"Why not?" she replied, now cowering against the door.

"Because you are here for your own safety," I replied, walking back over to her with a full glass. I offered it to her, and she took it with shaky hands.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, attempting to hide behind the glass of water.

"Patience," I replied, turning around and sitting on the couch, "that's all."

"You don't want to rape me, or kill me?" she asked, still terrified.

"Trust me," I said, "if I wanted either of those things, they would have happened by now,"

She nodded slowly, and started to inspect the glass, trying to determine if there was anything in the water. Finding nothing, she took a tentative sip. Nobody did anything, until the standard chiming of a message went off. I pulled out my phone.

**Tell her everything she wants to know. There's nothing else we can do. – S.**

I sighed, and put my phone back in my pocket.

"So," I said, causing her to jump slightly, "what do you want to know?"

She eyed me with a cautious suspicion. "If you tell me, will you have to kill me?" she asked.

"I'm going to assume you're still in shock, because you still haven't grasped the fact that if I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. Short answer, no, I won't kill you." I told her.

"What are you?" she blurted out. She put her hands over her mouth, as though she had just told me the Krabby Patty secret formula. I chuckled.

"I am a member of the Assassin Brotherhood," I said, and she slowly lowered her hands. "Yes, the very same one from the game series." She took a moment to absorb this, sipping quietly from her water.

Finally, when the glass was empty, she asked another question. "Why did you have to leave back then?"

"I killed someone," I said without hesitation, "and the Brotherhood apparently liked that about me, so they took me in and trained me to be one of them,"

The questions continued in this fashion for the next hour. She would ask something, and I would answer. Every question had something to do with the Brotherhood, or my training. The last question was different.

"What's it like, taking a life?" she asked from her seat on the recliner. I paused for a moment. I'd never thought it about it.

"It varies from person to person, based on their beliefs," I said slowly, thinking carefully about my answer, "It's difficult to explain, but for me, it's…" I paused, trying to find the right word, "I can't even explain it. The only way to know is to kill someone for yourself, and I don't recommend that."

At that moment, a car rumbled into the garage. The door closed behind them, followed by the opening and closing of a car door. There were a few footsteps, and Sam walked in the door. He looked between the two of us, and beckoned me to follow, which I did. Halfway down the hall, Sam stopped, and spoke.

"What did she want to know?" he asked, looking down the hall to keep an eye on Emma.

"Basically everything about the Brotherhood," I said, "among other less important things."

"You told her the truth?" he continued, and I nodded. "Good, look at this." He pulled a newspaper out of his jacket and handed it to me. I had to read the headline three times before I believed it.

**THEY'RE REAL! THE ASSASSIN'S AND TEMPLARS FROM THE ASSASSIN'S CREED SERIES DO EXIST, AND THEY'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR 1000 YEARS!**

"We've been exposed?" I asked incredulously, after the message had sunk in.

"Yeah and there's nothing the Council can do about it. Every plan we had relied on the Templars staying hidden," Sam told me. I opened the paper, and nearly dropped it. On the first page was every detail about the Assassin's and Templars that either side knew, which was quite a lot.

"Are people actually going to believe this?" I asked, sounding hopeful.

"Normally no, but the Templars were clever and got in first." Sam replied, and he walked out into the living room, where Emma was still sitting. Sam grabbed the remote and turned the T.V on, where an emergency broadcast was playing.

"Your principal is on every channel," Sam said, "and he is building some serious support for his Order."

Emma piped up, "You mean he's a Templar?"

"Yep, and him and his kind won't stop until every single one of us is dead." I said, focusing on the T.V.

Sam turned off the T.V after another few moments. "Our plans have been changed. We are to kill every Templar in this area, and then leave." He said, he then called out to Morty. "Get in the suit Morty; it's time to go Templar hunting." He held down the button on his bracer, and modern Assassin armour formed around him. I did the same, though my armour was slightly darker.

**A/N: For the armour, since I have no way to accurately describe it, google image search Assassin's Creed redesign, it is the 2nd one.**

A panel in the wall opened up, and a small arsenal of weapons came out. Sam and I proceeded to arm ourselves. Pulling a sword off the wall, I hung it off my left hip. I then grabbed two daggers, each with a glowing red edge, and put one on each hip. Sam handed me a laser blaster, and I tucked it into a holster on my right leg. I grabbed a semi-automatic crossbow off the wall, and folded it so the arms were tucked into the handle, and put it on my right shoulder. Sam walked over to another, smaller panel on another wall, and threw a knife belt at me. I put it on, and checked the knives; which were all razor sharp. I grabbed another, smaller dagger from the panel in front of me and tucked it into my left boot. I pulled a bag off the wall and peered inside, finding a couple dozen little green balls. _Good, grenades._ I tied the pouch to the back of my belt.

Throughout this entire outfitting, Emma had just sat there silently on the recliner, eyes bulging out of her head.

Sam walked over to me and handed me a small orb. "This is a Cordelaine emitter," he said, "It stops regular guns for working for 30 minutes for a radius of 500 meters. Don't waste it." He then walked over to Emma. "If you don't hear from any of us by nightfall, go into the end room and pick up the phone. It will immediately dial out to an Assassin that can keep you safe. Good luck," he said. He turned to me, and gestured with his head toward the door. I nodded, but I couldn't leave without doing something I had wanted to do before I had even gone to that carnival that started all of this. I walked over to Emma, who seemed about to say something, but I stopped her. I kissed her, and for a solid thirty seconds we stayed like that, until the whirring of the Iron Man suit pulled us out of our little world. I straightened up, and looked at Emma, who appeared to have wanted that for as long as I had.

"Good luck," she said, and I nodded, my smile disappearing at the thought of what lay ahead of me.

"You were right," I said to Sam as we went out the door, "it is harder to go. But at least I have something worth fighting for." Sam simply nodded as he pressed a button on the turntable control, causing it to sink into the ground and be replaced by weaponised vehicles. I went over and sat on a bike that very much resembled the Bat-bike from The Dark Knight, while Sam went and sat in an Aston Martin.

"Where do you think they'll be?" I asked, revving my bike.

"Where would you go if the world was after you? Where you have backup." He replied, kicking his car into drive and pulling out of the garage, Morty flying ahead, heading toward the school. I followed Sam, before giving a verbal command to my bracer. The house went into survival mode behind me, locking itself under thick steel plates. I pulled out of the street and followed Sam all the way to the highway, where we were stopped by a blockade of vehicles, all firing at the swerving comet in the sky.

_So, this is where it starts. Bring it on._

**A/N: So, what do you think. Sorry about the length, but I had to set them up for the final battle. I know the story seems like it jumped a lot, but that is because I am setting it up for the sequel I have planned. I'll make up for the shortness of this chapter by having the next one be 95% action, 5% cliffhanger. R&R, and see you next time.**


	17. Chapter 17

I stopped the bike and jumped off, heading for the nearest Templar and I buried my left hidden blade in their neck. I ripped it free and grabbed the gun from their corpse. I began shooting all the Templars around me, and as they started falling, some began shooting at me. I ducked behind one of their cars, firing blindly over the top of it. When my bullets ran out, I waited for a pause in their firing, before throwing it over my head, yelling "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Their immediate reaction is to run for shelter, and peering over the hood of my car, I found that was exactly what they did. I pulled one of the grenades from the pouch on my belt and lobbed it over toward a car to my left. As it hit the ground it went off, causing the car it was under to go up as well. There were several screams as people were hit by the explosion or flaming wreckage. I looked over at where Sam was ducking behind the Aston Martin, being bombarded by bullets. I pulled the crossbow off my shoulder and flicked it into working position. I stood and loosed off three shots before being forced to duck down again. I folded the crossbow into its previous form and put it back on my shoulder. I pulled out the Cordelaine emitter, and activated it. There was an outgoing wave of energy, and suddenly the guns stopped firing. I ran out from behind the car and drew my sword, slashing two people in the motion. I spun with my blade outstretched, and it sliced through a neck like it wasn't there. Looking around, I saw Sam finishing off his little group, and Morty dispatching the couple of Templars that had tried to flee. I sheathed my sword and headed back to my bike, while Sam went back to the car.

"Not as fun as the video game, is it?" Sam said through our communication channel.

"No," I agreed, "but it's definitely healthier,"

"Yeah, only a massive chance of death," Morty chimed in. I pulled out the Cordelaine emitter and deactivated it. Checking the power display, I saw that it still had 28 minutes. Pocketing it, I got on my bike as Morty cleared away the car wreckage. I roared along the road, Sam right behind me and Morty pulling ahead, looking for any more road blocks. At the turn off to the school, I found the smoking remains of a car.

"Was this you Morty?" I asked, and he replied in the affirmative.

I kept driving and found the remains of the road block from this morning. It had been blasted aside, and I just kept on driving. I reached the edge of the school and was immediately greeted by a wave of gunfire. I swerved hard to the left, driving into the trees and stopping behind a fallen log. I got off the bike and pulled out the Cordelaine emitter, as well as my blaster. I ducked behind the log and crept along its length, stopping at its roots. Peering around, I saw the flashes from the guns going off.

_They're too far away, I need to get closer._

I ran from behind the log to another tree on the side of the road. A warning call came from Morty, so I quickly pocketed the emitter as the air around me exploded. I was thrown backwards, the blaster flying from my hand. I hit the ground and just kept rolling. When I finally stopped, I looked around and saw myself surrounded by half a dozen Templars. One of them pulled out a knife and lunged at me. I rolled to the side, then back once he had hit the ground, using his arm as a support to get back on my feet. In one fluid motion, I had drawn my right dagger in a reverse grip and slashed the neck of the one that tried to stab me. Spinning to where the next attack was coming from, I flipped the dagger and drove it up through his bottom jaw. I pulled it out and spun it again in my hand, back to the reverse grip, and gave the same death to the one standing behind me, without even turning around. Pulling it free, I turned at saw the other two Templars on the ground. I thanked Morty for his contribution, sheathed the knife and retrieved my blaster.

I turned back to the blockade, which was still firing in all directions. I saw Morty taking out the snipers on the roof of the school, while Sam was working on taking them out while he was too close for them to shoot. I decided on a different tactic. I put away the blaster and pulled out the emitter, as well as a handful of grenades. Running toward the school, I activated the emitter, and threw it into their midst. The gunfire stopped immediately. I then proceeded to throw the grenades, which went flying into the middle of their ranks. There were several decent sized explosions, as well as many flying bodies. I kept running, and as I reached the front of their wall, I lunged forward; my arms outstretched, blades bared, and took out two people standing side by side. I pushed myself off of their bodies and went to the nearest Templar. I grabbed his neck and twisted it sharply, causing a loud CRACK that was muffled by the sound of the other fights going on. I noticed someone was readying an RPG, and, knowing that the Cordelaine emitter wouldn't stop that, I decided that I should. I threw a throwing knife at the person, who promptly fell down dead. I ran forward and retrieved the knife from his eye, and picked up the loaded RPG, aiming it into the middle of the majority of their forces, I fired. The projectile flew for a few seconds, before colliding with the ground and causing a dozen bodies to be sent flying, and several more to be taken out by the first bodies. I saw the emitter sitting next to a corpse, and I went to retrieve it. I picked it up, and dropped to my knees to avoid the attack that I had sensed. A two-handed sword flew over my head, and I lunged forward with my left blade bared, and caught the giant of a man in the chest. Straightening up, I realised that he was a good 7' tall. Deciding it as better to be safe than sorry, I drew my dagger and slit his throat. He fell to the ground, freeing my hidden blade as he did so. I turned to see the remainder of the Templars attempting to flee into the school, though, thanks to a well-placed missile by Morty, none of them made it through. After a quick scan of the area with Eagle Vision, I deactivated the emitter. The life counter said it had 23 minutes left.

I ran over to Sam, who was retrieving his throwing knives from some nearby corpses.

"How's the emitter?" he asked, clearly getting tired.

"It's still got about twenty minutes left," I replied, panting slightly. Morty landed beside us.

"The remaining Templars have taken refuge in the gym." He said to us. I slipped my hand under Sam's hood and activated Eagle Vision, showing him what I saw. There were about a dozen red shapes in the gym. Lowering my gaze, I saw none in the tunnel system below the school.

"I'll take care of the gym with Morty," I said, removing my hand from Sam's head, "you can handle to underground tunnels, there's no-one down there. See what you can find.

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Sam said. Using my gift, I surveyed the area and found a golden square on the ground.

"There," I said, pointing it out to Sam, "that's the entrance to the tunnels. Be careful, they might've rigged them to blow." Sam nodded and gestured for me to get moving. I nodded in return and started walking to the gym, Morty beside me. We reached the door to the gym, and Morty blasted them open. With some very well placed shots, Morty was able to take out all but one of the Templars before even setting foot in the gym, which was a good thing, because as soon as he did, a wave of energy passed over us, and the suit collapsed onto the ground.

_An EMP? These guys sure are prepared._

I walked in as well, stepping over Morty, and faced the last Templar still standing. They turned around, and my breath caught in my throat.

Karen drew her sword, and assumed a battle stance. I did the same.

"Why?" I asked her, and she laughed.

"Why? Because of you. You, who was so good so quickly," She said, "You, who thought you were so much better than the rest of us, all because you shared one drop of blood with Altair." She spat on the ground, and looked at me again, complete loathing in her eyes. "I am going to kill you James, and I will see you in Hell." She ran forward at that point, sword low behind her, and she swung it at me, which I blocked with my own, with relative ease.

_She's too angry. She can't maintain proper control of herself, and therefore, her technique will fail._

I brought the interlocked swords up and punched her in the stomach. She doubled over, and I released her sword, bringing the hilt of mine down to slam into her back. She collapsed on the ground. I spun my sword in my hand, bringing the point down, hoping to end this here, but it was not to be. She rolled out of the way, and got up. Her sword was on the ground at my feet, and I kicked it away behind me, where she would have trouble getting it. She drew two daggers, and came at me again. I flicked my sword toward her left hand, and the dagger was sent flying to the corner of the room. The look in Karen's eyes was murderous, and she tried to bring her other dagger up into my stomach. I spun my sword like a fan and caught her dagger, forcing it up and sending it flying to a different corner of the room. She stepped back, obviously trying to get another weapon, but I wanted to end this now, so I followed her steps, slashing low, knocking her left knee out from under her, forcing her to fall. Her hidden blade came up at me now, and I sidestepped that, sliding my blade along the length of her arm, causing her to scream in pain. Her arm dropped, and I found myself behind her. Sword in hand, I pulled her head back. I placed the blade across her throat, and said, "Requiscat in pace, mia sorella caduti." I drew the sword across, slicing through the arteries and windpipe. I let go of her, and she fell to the ground, dead on the floor. I sheathed my sword and went to gather up the pieces of the suit.

Two hours later, I was sitting on a chair back at the house, having my wounds treated. I hadn't even noticed that I had been shot several times. Though the armour absorbed the brunt of each hit, I was still sporting several very tender bruises, and a rather severe gash on the back of my leg. Sam was stitching up the gash while Emma rubbed the cream onto my bruises.

"What's this made of again?" she asked, fetching another dollop for a particularly large bruise on my back.

"Water, potassium, tungsten and bleach." I said, wincing slightly as she applied the mixture. Sam straightened up, putting away the sewing equipment he had used.

"Try not to walk on that leg if you can help it," he said, walking away from the bench and picking up the bruise cream. He started applying it to his own injuries.

"So, what happens now?" I asked, straightening up. "Do we go back to the Academy?"

Sam shook his head. "No, while you were making this," he wiggled the cream in his hand, "The Council contacted me and said we are to stay here until you graduate, or die, whichever comes first. Just in case the Templars come back. They also said," he continued, looking at Emma, "that because you now know things that weren't exposed to the world, we are to offer you a place with us. So what do you say?" Emma looked shocked, but nodded quickly. "Great, we'll start your training when one of us can move."

Emma sat next to me, and buried herself as far as she could in my arms. "Don't worry," I said in a quiet voice, "everything will be fine from now on." And I believed that.

**A/N: *cue applause* THAT'S IT! THE END OF MY FIRST STORY. I will put another chapter onto the end of this one when I have posted the first chapter of the sequel. Thank you all for reading this, and please, R&R. I need your feedback. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better reader, mostly because beggars can't be choosers. See you all next time. Peace out.**


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